Venomous
by Arkeis07
Summary: A series of events brings the country bait girl and the fugitive princess together while their foundations shake. Missing scenes from the movie.
1. Venomous

**First PPP fic. Rosie/Carter, of course. This was meant as a one shot, but the the ending happened... and now it will be a series, my first here at FF. net.**

**Venomous **

Carter needs to get some air. She comes home from yet another morosely unimportant day at school to find a misplaced princess on her window seat, all perfect posture and crossed ankles and annoyingly proper nouns and prepositions. After explaining the concept of _sharing_ to the foreigner, she leaves to mull things over in the field behind the sheds. Picking up a large stick she frustratingly swats at the yellowing knee high grass as she walks the beaten path.

After sitting perfectly still for about 10 minutes, Rosie decides to make a better introduction to Carter and makes her way outside. She sees Major Mason out at the dock, busy with his small motor boat, so she walks carefully in the shifting dirt and gravel toward the sheds, where she sees the outline of Carter, off in the distance, in the middle of a large and open field.

Gazing at the expanse of land around her, Rosie is struck by the total absence of lush green mountains framing the blue, blue sky. She has never seen anything so _wide open _before. Out in the distance the tops of the trees meet the heavens as if one would just need a sturdy ladder to ascend to the clouds.

Carter stops and rolls her eyes when she hears Rosie call out to her, disbelieving in her inability to have a moments peace while this nuisance takes up residence in her only sanctuary. Carter keeps walking, hoping maybe the tall grass will hinder the princess's chase.

Carter hears Rosie's cry and is instantly angered. The girl is obviously desperate for attention, probably not used to being without any servants for so long. But then Rosie screams her name, and Carter hears a pain rip through her high voice, and Carter feels ice slip down her spine. She spins around, her dark hair flying out to blur her vision for a moment, to see Rosie collapsed in the grass, her torso just visible in the high grass.

"Carter! Carter, help me, please!"

Carter rushes through the thicket, swatting fiercely with her stick before her fast pace. She arrives at Rosie's side to see her clutching her left calve and rocking back and forth, biting her lip and squinting against tears.

"Move, move, let me see. What happened?"

"I-I don't – something bit me Carter, I don't know –"

Carter removes Rosie's hand forcefully and rolls up her jeans as gently as she can to reveal an unmistakable rattlesnake bite on her leg.

"Oh god, Rosie! How dumb can you be! This is Louisiana; we have rattlesnakes in thickets like this! It's why you either stick to the path or you swing a stick before you step, to warn them!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't –"

"Just shut up, I have to get the poison out. Was it deep? How long was it attached? And what color was it?"

"It- it was… mostly brown…" Carter squeezes the wound to see to a small rivulet of blood trickle out of the two rough punctures, and Rosie chokes back a whimper at the pain.

"Design?"

"What?"

"Was there a design, Rosie? A – a pattern? On the snake? Did it look like a black diamond pattern?"

"I, I don't know for certain! It happened so fast, I'm afraid I didn't get a good look at it. Carter – what's going to happen to me?" Rosie's voice betrays her fear. Carter looks her in the eyes and sets her face to stone.

"Nothing, if I can get this poison out quick, then get you back to house. It was a quick bite then?"

"Yes it was only –" Rosie stops talking as Carter lowers her head and places her lips over the wound and starts sucking. Her hair brushes against Rosie's leg and the feeling is unfamiliar. The girl lifts her head and spits a few seconds later, then sucks again. Rosie feels light headed, and she's not sure if it's from the venom or Carter. Rosie leans back and shuts her eyes tight, her palms trying to lay flat on the ground so that her fingers don't dig into the dirt.

It's only a few minutes before Rosie opens her eyes to see Carter already standing and holding a hand out to her. Rosie takes it and feels Carter wrap her in a supportive embrace and Rosie hobbles on one foot as they move carefully out of the thick grass.

"It wasn't very big, if I remember correctly. That's a good thing, yes?"

Carter nods curtly in agreement. They make it out of the thicket and head back on the path, the breeze roaming across the field and making the whole scene look as if everything around them is moving in slow motion, leaves flying and floating to ground and tall grass rippling like a ocean current.

"Dad keeps a stock of anti-venom in the first aid kit. You'll be fine Rosie." Carter squeezes Rosie's hand that is draped over her shoulder. Rosie appreciates it.

Once inside, Carter lays Rosie gently on the window seat in her room, and tells her to keep her leg down. She rushes off to grab the first aid kit.

Rosie daintily wipes away her tears and holds back the few that threaten to spill again. She does not like the numbness that seems to be growing in her leg. She chances a look at the wound and is surprised to find it only slightly red and swollen around the small but jagged punctures. She leans back and releases a huff of air quietly.

Carter appears kneeling in her line of sight and opens a plastic container with first aid supplies. Rosie watches intently as Carter prepares a syringe with anti-venom and runs her hand lightly over the wound, testing the swollen flesh. Carter looks up into Rosie's eyes.

"You don't have to watch. Sit back, I'll make it quick."

Rosie shakes her head slightly, "No, it's all right. I want to see. To learn from this… experience." Her voice is soft and Carter can tell she is afraid still, so she grips her knee tightly before preparing the injection. Rosie feels a strong pinch at her flesh and squeezes her jaw as her forehead crinkles.

Carter makes quick work of cleaning the wound with alcohol that stings Rosie's flesh and nostrils and then bandages it quickly, expertly.

"Have you had to do this before, Carter? Were you ever bitten?"

"No, but I always listen to dad when he tells me his stories from his missions. I know a lot of field first aid because of it."

Rosie nods minutely and sits back, watching the way Carter's eyes shine determinedly in the light of the table stand lamp. The way her brow is furrowed and her head is tilted to inspect her handiwork and secure the bandage in place.

"Thank you Carter, for your assistance. That was very –"

"That was a stupid thing to do. Very stupid." Carter sits back on her heels and places her hands on her knees, curling them into fists. "That kind of reckless running around won't fly out here. Its dangerous! You could have, like, died! You better stop expecting everyone to just drop what they are doing to –"

Rosie feels affronted and interrupts, "I do not expect anything from anyone, Carter Mason. I may be naïve to your lifestyle and your country and your wildlife, but I am not an ignorant, helpless damsel. If worse came to worse, and I was alone, I am confident in my own ability to survive. I have had extensive studies on a variety of subjects, I am certain I would have called upon something useful to me in such a situation."

Carter's mouth drops open in shock. She slams the first aid kit closed and stands up quickly to leave the living room. "I hope you _can_ learn to survive out here – I've been trying for 16 years and haven't made much progress," she throws over her shoulder just before she disappears behind the slammed door.

Rosie slumps her shoulders and looks down at her clasped hands. The sun that drifts in through the window warms her back. She doesn't move again until the warmth has left and Major Mason pops his head in to check her injury and call her to dinner – which she politely refuses.

~~/\~~

To be continued


	2. Pernicious

**Venomous Part 2 – Pernicious**

**Disclaimer: This is a work of art, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects. ~I keep forgetting to update my account. this story has been out on my Livejournal, for like, weeeeeeks. Sorry :P**

_A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. Neither does Rosie's first day at an American high school manage to heal the abrasion._

Rosie shuffles quickly into Carter's room and shuts the door firmly behind her, still uneasy about the large green lizard she stumbled upon not moments before. Henry was actually the Head Royal Gardens Keeper, not quite the "reptile wrangler" as Carter had suggested. Moreover, with the memory of the rattlesnake encounter still fresh in her mind, the alien creature's sudden appearance had more than just startled the young princess.

As Rosie removes her blouse and puts her arms through the sleeves of Carter's old shirt, she thinks to herself that it would indeed be beneficial if she researched some of the local fauna in this part of Louisiana. She was quite unwilling to look a helpless fool again in front of Carter Mason.

Carter opens the door to her room swiftly, carrying the first aid kit, just as Rosie is pulling faded gym shorts up her slim thighs, her white underwear contrasting noticeably against her tan skin in the dim light.

"Gah! Geez, what happened to modesty!? You forget it in the bathroom?!" Carter's first instinct is to shield her eyes and turn. She ignores the fact that the door _was_ closed before.

"I am simply changing into the garments you presented me. What have I done now that has upset you, Carter?" Rosie's hands snap the elastic band of the shorts to her hips and then fall to her side, turning to address Carter directly. Her tone is clipped, but she still holds her head high, showing no embarrassment whatsoever at being caught with her pants down.

Carter swats at something invisible before her face. "Whatever, it's nothing. I need to check your bite before you go to bed." She walks up to the girl and waits. "Uhm, you can sit down, ya know," Carter insists with a lazy sweep of her hand in the general direction of Rosie's bed.

"Oh, yes." Rosie bends gracefully to sit on her bed, her uninjured leg tucked beneath her. She keeps her eyes on Carter's face and notices her features set into a stoic concentration, the same from the first time she inspected her wound (Rosie remembers fleetingly Carter pressing her mouth to her leg, leaving a tingling sensation in her leg and a fuzzy feeling in her mind).

Carter gets on her knees in front of her and removes the bandage carefully. It'll take at least a week for the slightly swollen wound to heal, but Carter feels a smidge of pride at her good work in cleaning and dressing the injury. She pokes lightly at it.

"Does it hurt bad?"

"It is quite uncomfortable to walk with, yes, but I am able to keep the pain under control."

Carter looks up at this answer.

"You don't have to, ya know. You're supposed to be a normal girl, you can bitch and moan about it. It _is _a snake bite, after all." She looks back down at Rosie's leg. "Although, I'm kinda glad you don't," Carter tilts her head and chuckles a little.

"I know no other way of behaving. Bemoaning an injury only places your suffering on others. One should hold high to her own standards and see through to the end of her ordeal. That is what I have been taught by _mi familia._

"Huh. How noble of you." Carter's eyes look up at Rosie from under her short eyelashes.

"Why, thank you, Carter." Rosie smiles. Obviously the quip did not register with the princess. Carter should have known better. She shakes her head.

_The girl's gonna get eaten up alive at school tomorrow._

"Can you feel this, Rosie?" Carter runs the tip of her finger up and around the flesh wound, testing for any nerve damage from the trauma. Rosie feels the pleasant sensation as she keeps her eyes on Carter's studious face, and she replies with, "Yes, it feels… fine."

Carter nods and begins unwrapping a new roll of bandage. "Ok, so, you're good. But let me know if you feel any more pain or if it starts bleeding or anything, ok?"

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Carter." Carter secures the cloth with two pins and stands up and retreats to put away the first aid kit.

Rosie crawls gingerly into bed, observing Carter's excellent work on her calf before settling in for the night. She sits up and waits for Carter to return. Which actually doesn't happen for another 20 minutes, as she is heard cleaning up the living room and saying goodnight to her father. Carter walks in with Major Mason just behind her, and he throws Rosie a salute, "'Night, Rosie. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Major Mason. I wish you a pleasant evening as well." He smiles warmly at her and closes the door behind him.

Carter plops her book bag on her bed and settles at her desk chair for her homework. Rosie watches her for a while before quietly wishing her a goodnight. "Mmhmm," Carter replies distractedly. Rosie allows a frown to mar her features before banishing it away and turning off her lamp. She curls under her covers, facing away from Carter.

About an hour later, Carter lets out one too many frustrated groans, spurring Rosie to rise from her bed and approach the tomboy. Her dark hair is mussed up, presumably by a hand pushing roughly through it several times.

"Do you need help, Carter?"

"Wha- What?" Carter turns to her and regards her as though she forgot she was in the room (she did). Rosie clears her throat and takes a step forward, "With your studies… it seems you are having some trouble… could I perhaps help you with it?"

Carter is sorely tempted to refuse her and send her back to bed, but this damn math problem, its been driving her insane. She sighs in defeat and waves Rosie over.

"If you understand the intricacies of Sine and Cosine and why they must be infernal pains in my butt, then by all means, try your luck."

Carter leans back and stretches while Rosie comes close to her side and inspects the math book. She gets distracted for a second by Carter's abdomen showing beneath her shirt as she lifts her arms up and crosses them behind her head, balancing on the back two legs of her chair.

"May I?" Rosie gestures to Carter's pencil, and Carter nods her head. Rosie picks up the pencil and starts jotting numbers and equations down on the margins of Carter's notebook. Carter notices that her mouth quirks and her lips purse when she concentrates, before she directs her eyes down to observe how Rosie is solving the problem.

"Ah. See, you had the right idea, but you read the question wrong. You were trying to solve for the inverse of the function, when in fact this section just asks for the derivative. See here?" Rosie points to the formula she's written in the margins.

"Ugggggh, really? I've been redoing that stupid problem for the past 10 minutes! I feel so dumb," Carter groans to her lap as she slams down her chair and places her forehead into her palm.

"It's a simple mistake. Please don't berate yourself. You obviously know what you are doing with the rest of these problems." Rosie's hand comes to rest on Carter's shoulder, which causes the girl to shy away. Rosie clasps her hands in front of her, as if she didn't just notice the reemergence of the tension between them.

"Uh, all right. Yea, well, thanks for the help…"

"It was no trouble. Thank you for allowing me to assist you. Goodnight, Carter."

"Yup, Night." Carter waves absently over her shoulder as she jots down the beginning of the next problem. Rosie makes her way back to bed and within 5 minutes Carter snaps off her desk lamp and shoves her books into her bag, dropping it to the floor.

Hours later, Carter opens her eyes and notes the time: _3:13 am._

Rosie has been sniffling constantly from across the room for the past half hour, and Carter bemoans the thought of having to take care of a sick princess on top of babysitting the kindergarten-level socialite.

It's been so long since she's cried herself to sleep, she doesn't remember the sound as it comes from beneath Rosie's quilt blanket.

~~\

Rosie, who has been seated at the wooden kitchen table since 6:30 this morning, presumably waiting for the family meal to start, leans toward the ajar door of Carter's room every few moments to see Carter's form blur back and forth in a frenzied motion. Inside, Carter is busy tossing random bits of loose paper, half-used notebooks and broken pencils and pens with little to no ink left into one of her old school bags. Satisfied, she checks her watch and heads out to the kitchen, where she matches her father's pace circling around Rosie and the table, a dance of stale cereal and cutlery performed and perfected through the years. Carter notes that the puzzled girl is dressed in an assortment of Carter's own clothing, some pieces of which Carter herself has not seen in years.

Carter rarely eats much for breakfast, and certainly won't today since her packing for Rosie ate up most of her precious time. As she chugs down milk she wonders if the princess has ever skipped a meal before.

Carter relishes in the slightly staggered look that crosses Rosie's face as she is told, "you're 16; you go to school," and Carter's tan, recently "supplied" backpack is held out in front of the girl's face. Carter smirks and leads the way out to the driveway. Rosie follows after politely saying goodbye to Major Mason.

Carter's plan of keeping at least 5 feet in front of or behind Rosie at all times works well enough, despite the guileless girl's efforts to match their paces, her smile never wavering in the face of the strange looks she invites. Until lunch, that is, when Rosie starts to make a spectacle of herself with her fancy hamburger date. Carter groans and shuffles quickly over to her.

Over the next few minutes, Carter allows her guard to relax slightly. She gives in and admits that naiveté on Rosie is kinda cute, sometimes, like when she's got a condiment mustache and insists on the "pinky out" rule. She allows herself a small chuckle before Principal Burkle makes himself heard over the cafeteria din.

That familiar feeling is back, the one that Carter recognizes is her gut, telling her something bad is about to go down. She sinks into her seat further.

_Annnnnd, score yet another point for Carter's Gut!_ Carter thinks cynically as Rosie stands up on her chair and boldly nominates her as Homecoming Queen. She can feel the stares of everyone in the building, and hear them all thinking (well, most are actually _saying it aloud__): Carter Who? Where? Does she go here? What kinda name is Carter for a girl?_

Carter flees the cafeteria quickly with her lunch in tow, but has lost her appetite. In fact she feels just the opposite of hungry, and wishes she could find a bush to hurl her stomach contents into. Her flight is quick enough that she loses Rosie, and she spends the rest of lunch period in the bathrooms at the library.

Being the last student into final period and the first out keeps her from hearing anything Rosie has to say, and making her way to the back of the bus with several members of the wrestling team save her during the trip back home. When they arrive, Carter pushes right past a waiting Rosie at the end of the bus steps, but with every shrill cry of her name, Carter feels her heart pound faster and her blood boil. She finally snaps at being "ordered to stop." She stops, but only to retort angrily.

When she sees her dad coming to break up the fray from the corner of her eye, a childishly devious notion passes through her. Maybe if she can convince her dad that Stage 4 for Princess #379 is doomed to fail, she'll get sent somewhere else_. Like an asylum. Or a nunnery._

Her dad seems unfazed however, and instead shows _interest_ in Rosie's "adventure in school today." Carter feels her jaw grinding in frustration, and she just can't handle seeing that "high and mighty" look on the foreigner's face anymore. She stomps off toward the house, leaving Rosie and her heavenly reaching eyebrows in her dust.

~to be continued.


	3. Detrimental

**Title:** Venomous Part 3 – Detrimental

**Rating:** G

**Words**: ~2600

**Disclaimer: **This is a work of art, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.

**Summary**: A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. The realities of her situation begin to weigh heavy on the Princess.

Carter locks herself in her room for the afternoon, leaving Rosie to find a spot on the living room couch to sit stiffly upon. She dare not approach the tomboy when she's in this state. She tries to busy herself by going over her homework from the day, which is outrageously simple and uninspiring, and if all high schools are like this one, Rosie frets for the state of the American education system - dismal literacy rates aside.

Major Mason appears through the front door just as Rosie closes the math textbook she borrowed from the library.

"Ah, Rosie. Where'd our little Grumbles run off to?" He wipes his hands with a kitchen rag.

"If you are referring to Carter, she has barricaded herself in her room. I have not yet attempted to speak with her. I feel she needs some time to herself."

Mason looks off toward Carter's door and scratches his brawny forearm.

"Yea, s'probably a good idea. For now. She'll come out when she's hungry, like all the wild things 'round here," he winks at Rosie before moving to the lounge chair across from her with a manila folder with documents in it. Rosie's interest is piqued.

"Major Mason, sir –"

"Hey now, you can call me Mason. Or Joe, if ya like. No need for military grade formalities in this house," he smiles that kind smile that has come to set Rosie's frantic heart at ease. Rosie has wondered if all the Program's agents have such a skill.

"-Mason, may I ask what you're working on?"

Mason drops his folder to his lap and scrutinizes Rosie for a second. "It's reports and updates from the Program. I've got surveillance on some of the princesses I've served on past missions; they keep me informed of the state of affairs within those countries as well as the well being of the princesses. If anything was to resurface, I'd be sent to negotiate and intervene, since the family often comes to trust the particular agent that was assigned to them."

Rosie nods in diplomatic understanding, clasping her hands in her lap and crossing her feet at the ankles. Her eyes are bold as she asks the question that's been eating at her since she left her mother on the balcony of the palace.

"Do you know anything about Costa Luna? About my mother?"

Mason sighs and sets his folder down beside him. He drops his leg from over his knee and places his hands on his knees as he stands up. He walks over and sits next to Rosie, close but at a respectable distance.

"Rosie. I am absolutely forbidden to get you involved in anything regarding your country's crisis while you are in protection. You have to understand."

Rosie focuses on the seat cushion Mason just left. "We do more than provide protection – an agent is charged to provide peace of mind to the princess while the stressful affairs are worked out," Mason continues. "And regardless, I'm only kept informed on urgent matters, as a precaution."

Rosie can't restrain herself from prying, "Urgent matters? Such as?"

Mason's jaw tightens but he looks her straight in the eyes. He doesn't want to euphemize the situation. "Matters such as a civil revolt. A declaration of war. Failure of negotiations. And…the capture or death of a family member."

Rosie's eyes grow wide and her hand rises to her mouth. "I'm sorry Rosie, but these are the politics of national strife."

"If- if my mother was to be… if she… do you mean to say that you wouldn't tell me about it?" Rosie's voice rises, as does her body from the couch, to face Mason with a terrified look on her face.

"Rosie, please, calm down. We're working to ensure that the coup incited by General Kane is shut down as quickly as possible. It's quite unlikely the murder of the Queen would hold much prudence at this point."

"General Kane is a despicable man, his dictatorship over Costa Estrella has devastated the people and the country. He cannot be allowed to do the same with my home!"

"Of course not, we're–"

"He will have no qualms with the deposing of the Royal Family, my mother is still in great danger! Everyone is threatened! I have already lost my father, I cannot lose my mother as well!!"

"Rosie, please –"

"Do you know what it feels like to lose someone?!!"

Rosie clasps her hands to her mouth the second the words leave. How terribly offensive and undignified of her, to shout and presume to have the right to bring up such private matters.

"I-I apologize, I sincerely apologize. I lost myself-"

"No Rosie, please. Calm down. It's all right." Mason takes a deep breath, then looks up at the princess and pats the seat next to him, indicating where he wants her. She obliges.

"I understand your agitation and your concern for you family. But, it's my job to make sure you get reunited with your family and home. I'll do whatever I can to keep this promise to you." He holds his hand out, an invitation for Rosie to take.

Rosie places her left hand in his hesitantly.

"And yes, we've lost someone. Carter's mother…" Rosie looks away, ashamed that she evoked the memory. Mason keeps talking however.

"She didn't pass away… but her presence here has all but disappeared. She left us, when Carter was about 9 years old. But really, it would be more accurate to say I drove her away," he admits sadly, his throat working to release a sad chuckle.

Rosie feels uncomfortable at the far away look settling into Mason's eyes and pleads, "Please, no. I apologize for my outburst. You owe me no explanation."

"No, no, it's all right. It's something that's a part of this family – and since you're living here, you should at least be aware." Mason continues with his story.

"At the time I was starting to come in high demand for the Program. There were a few disputes between us, but they seemed minor. She wanted to move to a city, but I was raised a fishin' boy, it's a dream to live at this lake. Carter was having trouble at school with friends and some bullies, and basically we just fell apart as a family."

Rosie squeezes his hand.

"We packed up all the photos and reminders and stored them away, and Carter and I became closer than ever, and eventually we fell right back into that cohesion we had early on. I never knew what to say to Carter; she was old enough that everything I thought to say would seem like I was dismissing her, talking down to her. We could still feel the missing piece, but it hurt less when we didn't mention it. It became a silent rule."

"I'm sorry."

"It's in the past. And we're stronger than ever. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" he rubs her back in a comforting manner and stands up.

He catches the still ashamed look on her face and comments quietly, "You're allowed to be inquisitive, Rosie. In fact, I encourage it."

She nods her head and takes a moment to collect herself, banishing all thoughts of her mother's questionable safety to the back of her subconscious. She smiles up at the Major – grateful for his honesty and kindness and reassurance.

Mason returns the smile jovially and claps his hands together. "So, dinner - Chinese sound good to you?"

~~\

Rosie, having been in the United States less than 42 hours, was already feeling quite miffed at the amount of greasy, fried food that lacked the homely taste of being prepared with care and attention. But she knew better than to complain.

Dinner that evening is a strained affair around open cartons of Chinese food. Rosie is quite baffled at the noodles and beef and vegetables covered in sauce meal, having never reached into a communal dish herself. Her inexperience earns her a splattering of brown sweet and sour sauce on her cheek and blouse as the meat and veggies slop onto her plate.

Rosie knows she misses home, but she's finding there are small things she has never really thought about that are tugging at her heartstrings. The way she used to converse in several different languages at the dinning table, with her family, royal guests and the staff who served the meal. Never was the atmosphere tense and quiet like it is right now, with Carter shooting her not-so-benevolent stares every now and then and smirking maliciously when she struggles with her chopsticks. Major Mason finally notices her difficultly and hands her a fork, which of course earns her another demeaning glance from Carter.

After Mason's failed attempt at engaging in conversation about school ("Sucked," is all Carter offers. Rosie gives a curt answer as well, "Interesting."), Rosie tries to distract herself with wandering thoughts. They of course drift back to her mother, to home cooked meals, just her and her mother Sophia in the royal kitchens. Those occasional late afternoons always contained laughter and the throwing of white flour, even when the recipe called for none. Thinking back to this afternoon's conversation with Mason, Rosie ponders if Carter ever did such things with her mother… but of course she knows not to ask.

The air is punctuated with a heavy sign from Mason, an impatient hum from Carter, and the clinking of Rosie's fork against her plates as she struggles to wrap noodles around it.

~~\

"So, Rosie," Mason's voice is heard before his head and torso appear in Carter's doorway, "let's hear one of those many languages you know."

Rosie, surprised at his interest, hesitates before letting shine a brilliant happy smile. She bounces on her bed a little to better face Mason. "What would you like me to say, Major?"

"How about 'goodnight'? And hey – 'member what I said about the title business…" Mason warns kindly.

"Sumimasen, Mason-san. Dewa, Oyasuminasai." The apology and goodnight wish flow easily and prettily from Rosie's mouth, and Mason claps his hands together and laughs heartily.

"Ah haha, excellent! That's very impressive." He clears his throat and stands straight, before stuttering a little on, "Oyaa-som-nasai." Rosie smiles graciously and claps for him, before Carter is heard from her bed groaning loudly. Rosie's face and posture fall, but Mason smiles sheepishly at her before leaning toward Carter's side of the room and chiding, "And a goodnight to you, Miss Grumbles. I'd hope that by tomorrow this little attitude trip of yours takes a turn for the better."

Carter rolls over under her covers and grunts instead of offering a goodnight. Mason sighs. But he turns to Rosie and smiles reassuringly. Rosie's smile returns a little when he stands erect and comically gives her another salute before leaving and closing the door behind him. Rosie turns out the lights and gets very still over in her corner.

Carter wants to fall asleep as quickly as she can; today was just the worse, and while she dreads tomorrow, she knows the only safe place she has left is that space between waking and dreaming.

Except, Rosie has somehow managed to commandeer that from her too. Incessant rustling and a sharp hiss of pain spurs Carter to snap open her eyes to take in the sight of Rosie tugging and twisting on the white cloth bandage around her leg. Leaning down over the side of her bed, she doesn't notice Carter sitting up to scrutinize her in a glare.

"Stop, stop, stop. You're doing that wrong," Carter huffs and stands up. Rosie gasps in surprise and stops moving as though caught in a compromising situation, "I thought you were sleeping."

"I can't with you making so much noise, can I? Let me do that, you'll just make it worse." Carter's voice is still tinged with a grumble so Rosie does not protest. Carter investigates and finds the bandage is stuck on the pins and Rosie has been pulling at it so fiercely it's starting to cut off circulation.

Carter delicately frees the bandage and reveals the red, irritated wound to the warm night air. She doesn't bother hiding her sigh of frustration as she gets up to retrieve the first aid kit, and Rosie stifles her ire at Carter's attitude.

The princess lets out her frustrations in a sigh – but it isn't enough. After staring at her pillow for half a minute, she punches it once, fiercely, then snaps back into her erect position, as though it didn't just happen.

Carter returns and gets to work cleaning the calf with a sterile wipe. She grabs a white tube and says, "This is some special ointment dad found on one of his missions. I think its Chinese or something. Supposed to help the skin heal faster. It'll feel strange, like your skin is burning, but it's just really cold. " She begins rubbing it around the bite and Rosie inhales quietly through her nose at the sensation, "It'll feel better in a few minutes."

Once again Rosie can't help but notice that while Carter tends to her injury, her face relaxes into a focused and determined visage. Her attitude has seemed to abate as well, as she quietly hums out a note, almost like a sigh, as she rubs and rubs her ring and forefinger in small circles. When she caps the tube, she does her poking habit and looks up at Rosie's face to see if any spot causes particular discomfort. Under her heavy scrutiny, Rosie falters and smiles shyly, and Carter almost returns it, before jerking her head down, as though she suddenly remembered she kinda hates this foreign know-it-all.

"Just so you know, the pins are weird. If you tug at 'em, they only dig in deeper. You gotta give a little slack, and then slip them out," Carter informs Rosie as she wraps a new, clean bandage around her leg.

"I understand." Rosie mistakenly puts a hand on Carter's shoulder, "Thank yo-"

"-Yea, yea, whatever," Carter stands up abruptly to loosen the hand, and stalks off to replace the med kit. Rosie refrains from huffing and slips into bed.

But Rosie finds she can't dream peacefully. Her heart feels cold and her head feels numb. Culture shock aside, she can't fathom how much longer she can go without knowing how her mother is fairing against that evil tyrant Kane. Her mind is plagued by visions of strife and violence afflicting her people, her family ostracized or killed. She rises from bed to sit at the window, looking for hope or guidance or distraction out in the dim moonlight.

Thoughts of losing her mother, so soon after her father passed, cause tears to roll down her cheeks. Running her fingers over the small locket, her eyes scanning the smiling faces of her father and mother, she tries to recall Mason's calming words, but to no avail. Deep within her she wants to argue, fight him, yell that he does not know if her mother will be safe, that unless he is there beside her, he can't promise her safety. She sobs at the feeling of uselessness corrupting her heart.

Carter says nothing as the sobs reverberate in her chest. With her back to Rosie still, she cuddles closer to her pillows and wishes Rosie would do that elsewhere.

_Yea, sure, she's in a foreign place. Maybe she should just suck it up._

Carter is relieved when her fake cough is loud enough to stifle the soft sobs coming from the window. Any longer and Carter's mind would have wandered back, several years ago, to those months after her mother left them, sitting in that same place, doing the same thing. _Crying to the moon._

Rosie slips back into bed, the memory of her mother's scent as they said their goodbyes in the palace fresh in her mind.

She wonders how long it will take for that too to be taken from her.


	4. Anodyne

This chapter has been out on my livejournal for several months, I just forgot to also upload it here. So... sorry if you've been waiting for it and planning my inevitable demise by your blood-stained hands. Or like, whatever :3

**Title:** Venomous Part 4 – Anodyne  
**Fandom: **Princess Protection Program, Carter/Rosie  
**Rating**: G  
**Words:** ~2300  
**Disclaimer**: This is a work of art, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.

**Summary:** A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. The weekend, however, brings about a change in Carter's perception of Rosie.

Carter is both relieved and miffed that today is Saturday. She's been saved from another awkwardly horrible day at Lake Monroe High School with Rosie shadowing her everywhere, but she's still stuck at work in the bait shop with Rosie shadowing her everywhere. Carter's a little lost as to how Rosie still feels it necessary to hang around Carter when she's been so bitchy to her.

When Rosie offers to 'learn chores,' Carter's day suddenly takes a turn for the better.

Having pawned off her least favorite duty to the naïve princess, Carter walks out with a mischievous skip in her step to where her father is glossing the hull of one of his rental fishing boats. There won't be much demand for the vessel until the summer arrives, with the promise of Lake Monroe's Annual Fishing Tournament, but it's a job that's been a few years overdue. Without being told, Carter picks up a brush and begins assisting, following the line her father sets for her.

"So… how are we feeling this morning? A little less grumpy, I hope?"

"Ugh, Dad, stop it. You'd be _grumpy_ too if a pretentious princess commandeered your bedroom, your dining table, your bathroom and your school."

"Sharing, Carter. The term is _sharing_," Mason retorts, a bit of a smile present in his words. Carter feels the late morning sun beat down on her neck, like it's shedding a spotlight on her insecurities. She huffs the feeling away. Mason copies her. Carter gives him a narrowed side-glance; he returns it with fervor. She threatens to flick black gloss at him; he chuckles and raises his hands in submission.

Clearing his throat, Mason assumes his 'parental tone,' as Carter likes to call it, and says, "Listen pal, it's a sacrifice we're all making, for her safety. We're doing a good thing here. We're saving a princess – I remember you used to be pretty good at that."

Carter purses her lips and wipes a strand of dark hair from her face, "I'd rather not traipse down memory lane, right now, Dad."

"All right, all right, fine. I'll quite lecturin'. Just remember, we're a team. You and me, pal."

"Mnnn," Carter grunts.

"C'mooooon…" Mason solicts.

"Mnnmm, you and me, Dad," Carter obliges in a monotone.

"That'a girl."

The time spent tending the boat passes quickly, interrupted occasionally by friendly waving and conversation with local lake enthusiasts and repeat customers to Joe's Bait Shop. Carter feels pretty content, working out under the sun with her dad – until a crash from within the bait shop brings an abrupt end to that feeling and replaces it with... guilt.

Mason is quick to help the shell-shocked Rosie from her carpet of worms, but Carter is struggling to keep from erupting in laughter. Her control drops however as soon as the princess stumbles off to 'bathe'. Despite having to clean up Rosie's mess, her day is indeed looking up.

~\/~

By 2 o'clock, it's time to add another layer of painted gloss to the boat's hull, so Carter goes to the shed to grab the bucket of black goop. Rosie appears behind her, freshly scrubbed and in a new, equally girly outfit.

"Hello Carter. I have bathed." Carter puts down the bucket and gives Rosie a golf clap.

"Good job," is Carter's smart-alec response.

"I was wondering if there were any other chores I could learn, perhaps something that doesn't involve insects?" Rosie's voice is clipped, and it's obvious to Carter that she's quite embarrassed by the whole thing. This puts Carter in a great mood.

"Nah, there's really nothing else, princess. Dad and me are going to finish with the boat, then reset the bait traps. Did you eat?"

"No, I have not."

"Well, you should. You can use whatever you find in the kitchen. I'm sure you can handle that much," Carter says as she picks up the bucket again and smirks.

Rosie purses her lips, and squints her eyes, but nods curtly and turns to leave. But as she takes a step, her face takes on an uncomfortable cringe and she reaches down to scratch at her wounded leg through her jeans. Carter stops and makes a face, suspicious, her eyebrow admonishing in its high arch. Rosie quickly stops scratching and straightens up.

"You ok?" Carter's voice is more teasing than concerned.

"Yes, fine." Rosie keeps her head high and marches toward the house. Carter chuckles lightly at Rosie's uncomfortable demeanor, but sighs heavily when she realizes she'll have to inspect the wound again, if it's causing Rosie discomfort.

~~\/~~

Rosie gets a brilliant idea once she has food in her stomach - She'll make dinner, to make up for her mistake in the bait shop earlier. She happened upon a set of nice, albeit slightly dusty, dishes and cookware hidden a bit inconveniently in the cupboards next to the kitchen wall, and realized Major Mason's refrigerator/freezer contained all the necessary ingredients for her mother's _arroz compoyo_ recipe. While the rice is cooking and the chicken is defrosting, she ventures outside to catch the rays of yellowing sunlight, trying to keep her mind from dwelling on what Carter's reaction to her handiwork will be; she hopes maybe this thoughtful act will finally earn Carter's appreciation, or at least make her a bit more amicable.

Rosie wanders over to the field where she had her encounter with the rattlesnake, this time remembering Carter's words and using a stick to cautiously stir the tall grass near the edge, where a small gathering of wild flowers draws her attention. Feeling secure, she crouches down to inspect the pretty colors. The memory of her 8th birthday is triggered, when Henri the Grounds Keeper planted a flower garden for her, and taught her to brocade a crown with the blossoms. Smiling genuinely, Rosie picks a few of the blossoms and leaves and takes them back inside.

When Carter steps into the kitchen and beholds the delicate arrangement of her mother's dishes, she's swooped back in time to the evening of her father's glorious return from his promotion at the PPP, and the ensuing fight that happened later that evening. The smell that invades her senses strikes a chord in her heart rather than her stomach, and she recognizes the ache she's been dampening for years. But Mason doesn't seem to mind at all.

"Oh ho, ya know, I haven't had a real home cooked meal since-"

"Forever?" Carter interjects dourly.

"…Right…" Mason's face falls, and there, right there. Her mother's absence is given acknowledgement, and there's a cold weight to the air now.

_Me and you, pal._

_ Me and you, Dad._

So, who gave Rosie the right to bring out all this stuff, and bring up all these _feelings_? Who gave her the right to break all the unwritten laws that have kept this family together? Who gave her the right to barge in and _appropriate _her family, her home, her life? It seems like ever since this princess showed up, the things that Carter lacks have been brought into sharp focus – nice clothes, a big house, good grades, a mother. It makes her feel weak, and Carter does not like feeling weak. She lashes out.

And as Rosie excuses herself from the kitchen, the look from her father instills a terrible guilt within Carter. Her eyes settle on the shine of her mother's glassware, the stuff she used to love cooking with, and she calms herself before going after Rosie.

~~\/~~

"Let's just start over," Carter says as she leans forward, after hearing Rosie's heartfelt monologue about her country, her mother, and her wish to try harder to 'be from Iowa.'

"I would like that," Rosie says, her eyes still shining slightly from barely unshed tears.

"But, you need to lighten up on this 'princess' stuff, it's _really_ annoying."

"Absolutely! Please, I only want to be this, 'typical American teenager," Rosie replies enthusiastically.

"Ya know what? ….I think we can arrange that," Carter smiles as an idea pops into her head. "But first, the smell of dinner is starting to give me a headache because it's not in my stomach yet. Let's eat." Carter gets up from her bed and Rosie follows her, back into the kitchen, where Major Mason's plate has been licked clean and he is patting his stomach in a way reminiscent of a bear.

"You two made up?"

"Yea dad – hey what! You couldn't wait for us?" Carter exclaims as she takes in the sight of Mason's clean plate.

"What? I was starving! And it was so delicious, Rosie, you're amazing!" Mason says to defend himself. Carter gives him a wallop to the shoulder, before sitting down and preparing her plate.

Dinner is surprisingly enjoyable, as Mason entertains Rosie with his favorite story about an obstinate Princess who would not leave her bedchambers unless Mason agreed to take her jewels with them. Carter heard this tale a thousand times, and so teasingly reminded Mason that he forgot to mention that he was forced to _wear_ several pieces, because the jewelry chest had been smashed earlier in the riotous coup. The image of a frustrated Agent Mason adorned with pearl earrings and several precious necklaces slapping against his broad chest, bracelets clanging in the wind, as he ran with the princess in tow sent Rosie into a fit of giggles, and Carter found herself feeling proud that she had been the cause.

Carter realizes that she likes Rosie's laugh; it's light and bubbly, but not in that annoying fake way that Chelsea or Brooke have – it floats, up and down, like a song in the wind. When she makes this connection though, Carter blushes and coughs, looking down at her plate to finish the last of her rice. Rosie stifles her giggling behind her glass of water as she shares a mirthful glance with Mason, completely missing Carter's predicament.

Rosie is about to help Mason collect the dishes, when Carter stands up and puts a hand on her forearm to stop her, while addressing her father with a wide smile. "So, I was thinking of showing Rosie the bowling alley, is that cool?"

Mason considers the matter for a moment, but relents at the look on his daughter's face. "I suppose that's all right. I also suppose you'll be needing a ride, correct?" Mason smiles warmly. Carter winks and goes to her room to change into something more comfortable, while Rosie continues helping Mason clean up, despite his attempts at shooing her away.

Five minutes later, Carter's fingers itch strangely when she holds onto Rosie's wrist, dragging her to the car in the warm night air.

~~\/~~

Bouncing a bit excitedly on her bed, Rosie chatters away to Carter as she moves about the room getting ready for bed, recounting how wonderful her night went at the bowling alley, learning a new game, making new friends, having the opportunity to act 'normally.' Carter desperately wants to scoff at her, because in fact she did the exact opposite – no one has beginner's luck like that, and it's unfair the way everyone practically groveled at her feet after only her first strike. Well, Ed actually _did_ grovel, but he's Ed.

"I think I'm finally becoming accustomed to this American lifestyle, Carter. My new friends, Chelsea and Brooke, gave me their phone numbers on my hand, do you see? They also gave me an informal moniker, 'Ro' and invited me to call them 'Chels' and 'Brooky.' Everyone was just so nice, I had a lovely time, thank you for taking me," Rosie prattles on as she approaches Carter's bed.

"Yay for you, glad you had fun," Carter says as she sits down. Rosie misses the slightly sour tone in her voice because she is momentarily distracted by the way Carter's two button-fly boxer shorts ride up on her skinny thighs as she shuffles underneath her covers. Rosie's never really seen such an expanse of skin up close in the palace. It intrigues her in a way she is unfamiliar with.

Carter quickly realizes that when Rosie is happy, she's suffocating. Especially when she sits so damn close on _Carter's_ bed wearing _Carter's_ old gray jersey and is trying talk about _Carter's_ friends and _Donny_.

_She's been here for only 3 days and she thinks she can talk like she _knows_ everything?_

Carter feels put off by the fact that 'you stay on your side, I'll stay on mine,' is a concept still not registering with the princess, as her incessant questions about bowling and work add to the uncomfortably tense feeling she has when she can feel Rosie's body heat next to her, through her blanket. She lashes out at her finally, telling her, "You can't have everything that's mine!"

Later that night, Rosie cleans her snakebite by herself in the bathroom, rubbing a generous helping of that special Chinese ointment around the angry, red wound. It burns a lot more than when Carter applied it, and feels uncomfortably wet under the bandage when she walks, but Rosie is preoccupied with thoughts of Carter's last words to her: _"You want a job so bad? Go get one yourself."_

Before returning to Carter's room, the princess heads for the kitchen and picks up the phone, squinting in the dim light to read Chelsea's number etched on her hand in black marker.

~To be Continued (fo reals tho, it will be.)


	5. Innocuous

**Title:** Venomous Part 5 – Innocuous  
**Fandom:** Princess Protection Program, Carter/Rosie  
**Rating:** G  
**Words**: ~2800  
**Disclaimer: **This is a work of art, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.

**Summary:** A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. But the girls grow closer after a shared experience of the popularity hierarchy.

~~\/~~

When Chelsea picks Rosie up at 9 am with a bright red Udderly Yogurt uniform shirt laying in the passenger seat, she tells Rosie to be 'super psyched' that the girl who usually works the opening shift got "sick" today. Rosie is unsure she wants to celebrate someone else's misfortune with illness, but is grateful nonetheless for the opportunity to prove herself to Carter.

And Rosie fairs all right for the first few hours. It's not so bad, swirling yogurt into sugar cones and paper cups. Rosie finds there's an _art_ to the perfect little "swirly", as Chelsea called it, but soon the store gets busy. And loud. And people get upset with her, and she feels nervous so she keeps messing up on the _swirly_, and she's all alone in the back with these big machines that spew yogurt and things are just not going as planned, at all. Carter and her friend Edwin show up eventually, but only after Rosie suffers a humiliating fall on half-frozen, multicolored sugary milk product. The cow hat with the bells was not very becoming either, she thinks as an afterthought. Even though she's not sure what went wrong, Rosie accepts the failure as her own with dignity, as she was taught.

But even as Rosie holds her head high, yogurt-coated strands of hair sticking to her cheeks and neck, she thinks there must be some sort of cosmic practical joke being played on her. Every attempt she makes to prove herself to Carter ends in messy misfortune.

~~\/~~

"Ok, stand still," Carter commands Rosie when they're back on Mason property, Rosie standing stiff and slightly fearful at the edge of the dock as Carter aims the green water hose at her, Ed shuffling sheepishly off to the side with some towels.

Rosie lets out a high-pitched scream as Carter squeezes the trigger and a waterfall of cold fresh water begins to blast her free of yogurt. "Pretend you're on fire, it'll make it seem less cold!" Carter offers between giggles. She remembers having to suffer the same treatment from her dad, back when Chelsea had set up the same disastrous yogurt gig to Carter in Sophomore year. She should have known back then it was a trap; just like she should've warned Rosie last night to stay away from Chelsea "_I'm so very popular"_ Barnes.

When Carter relents finally, Ed is there in an instant, being helpfully obnoxious as he fumbles to throw towels on a now shivering Rosie and pat her down. Carter restrains him by the collar so that Rosie can dry herself, and has him help her roll up the hose instead.

As they make their way to the house, Carter can't restrain herself from teasing, "So, Rosie, you ever had a hose down back in Costa Luna, or was this another American first for you?"

"Haha, what?" Ed asks with jovial curiosity. Carter's eyes go impossibly wide as she realizes her mistake. Rosie is left speechless, so Carter tries to cover.

"Ah, haha, ya know… 'cuz hose downs are universally funny… even in…foreign countries…where she lived… for awhile..." Carter realizes, with slight chagrin, that her covering methods are a bit rusty.

"Oh! Costa Luna, that island in the tropics, right? Must've been nice, it's beautiful in the pictures. The monarchy puts the environment in high priority over there," Ed scratches his chin thoughtfully,

"How do _you_ know so much about Costa Luna?" Carter asks incredulously.

"What? I did a presentation on it for Culture Day in freshman year."

Carter gives him a blank stare.

"Carter! I can't believe you don't remember, it was my proudest moment when I told Donny the exact coordinates of the island after he asked if it's '_That place off the coast of who gives a crap!' "_ Ed exclaims in his best "I'm a big dumb jock type" imitation.

Carter shares a _well, what're the odds?_ look with Rosie. "Oh, right. Sorry, buddy. Guess I was a bit preoccupied that year with building up a seething rage towards Chelsea and her minions. But, uh, hey, why don't you go and get the laundry machine going? I'll get Rosie some new clothes."

"Yea, all right," Ed nods as he takes the used towels from a still quite silent Rosie.

Rosie grabs Carter's arm and drags her, with a surprising amount of grace for such a motion, to Carter's room. Spinning around fast and glaring at Carter, Rosie begins to speak in a voice so low that Carter feels a cold chill of fear slip down her spine.

"Carter, I understand that you are quite close to your friend Edwin, but I am very displeased with what just transpired. Has your father not expressed to you how critical it is that I remain in complete autonomy?"

Carter sighs and goes to her dresser so she can fish out some new clothes for Rosie. "Of course I know, I just... I don't know. I lost it for a second. You looked so funny, like a wet dog, I couldn't help it…"

Turning around to hand the royal "wet dog" a pink top and jeans, Carter catches the look on her face. "I meant like, a cute wet dog. With floppy ears and a droopy tail, and stuff…… Sorry." Carter cringes.

"But hey, don't sweat it, he still doesn't know you're _the _princess of Costa Luna, we'll just say you lived there - " Carter's eyes go impossibly wide a second time as she spots the open crack in her doorway. Marching past Rosie, Carter swings open the door, revealing a slightly crouched Ed, poised with his hand in position to knock. Straightening up quickly and somehow almost tripping over his feet in the process, he stutters, "Uh-uh, the uh- laundry's -uh- ready – whenever…"

Carter's tone and volume is reminiscent of Rosie's, just moments before, "… Ed…You heard that last part?"

"…maybe… probably not, I've got bad ears, ya know," Ed laughs awkwardly and rubs his arm.

Carter looks back to Rosie apologetically. Turning back to Ed, she sighs heavily and leads them out into the kitchen, giving Rosie some privacy to change.

"All right, here's the deal. My dad? He doesn't just sell bait– He works for an international organization that rescues people from rough situations. Specifically, royal princesses."

Ed's eyes narrow attentively and he nods curtly in understanding, "So, like a secret agent?"

"Yea, exactly."

"I knew it! He's so tough and strong, I knew he had to have some sort of cool military training - and you're an agent too? Is your house actually a secret headquarters, and the bait shop is where you get all your secret transmissions, and the boathouse is actually a cover for your helicopter pad?"

"……What? No! Have you been secretly thinking about all these things?"

"Er, no. Sorry. Continue," Ed says quickly.

"Thank you," Carter replies sarcastically. "Now, 'Rosie' (she uses air quotes around the pseudonym) is here because she needs protection in a place the bad guys won't find her. She's not my cousin, and she's most definitely not from Iowa."

"Yea, kinda picked up on that when she went all _formal_ on her burger in the cafe," Ed shrugs. Carter nods enthusiastically. She invades Ed's personal space and gets a firm grip on his arm, causing him to bend uncomfortably at the knees, his face cringing but attentive to Carter's next words, "You're a part of the secret now, so you have to swear not to tell anyone. I'll get in soooooo much trouble with dad, you have no idea."

"Ahhh –ah, yea, of course, I'd never!" Ed pleads when Carter squeezes for emphasis. "And anyway, you know I rarely talk to anybody but you, Carter…" he shuffles shyly, causing Carter to let him go and smile softly at him. "Yea. I know I can trust you. Just… be careful with that camera of yours, kay?"

Ed smiles jovially as Rosie walks into the room. "Ah, I believe a proper introduction is in order, my fair lady," Ed pronounces as he bows with a flourish to Rosie, for the second time since meeting her.

~~\/~~

When Ed leaves a little while later, Carter is left alone in the kitchen with Rosie, and maybe it's the heat of the early afternoon, but Carter can't help but notice how _defined_ Rosie's bare shoulders are in that pink top. She figures it's probably from years of having to keep her back straight in front of important dignitaries and what not, but whatever, it's like, sweltering, so Carter grabs two sodas and suggests a walk to the swing near the canoe rack, where the breeze is cooler as it flows over the lake.

Something clicks in Carter when she learns of Rosie's earnest desire to do something important with her life. Carter has yearned to make a difference to the world outside of humble Lake Monroe, but the dream always seemed so far out of reach. And her environment isn't exactly supportive of "big worldly yearnings." Where Carter comes from, it's dangerous to be the nail that sticks out; the hammer comes down at too high a cost. High school taught her that much, at least.

But Rosie, a princess… she was raised to do amazing things and meet amazing people and eat amazing entrees. She was born into high class, and yet has such an unpretentious perspective about things. Carter was infinitely impressed with how Rosie handled the whole yogurt fiasco; even though personally she'll be thinking about revenge on Chelsea and Brooke for the next week and a half.

But Carter doesn't want to think about any of that stuff now, because when Rosie laughs, Carter laughs too, so much so that she almost spills her soda when she leans on Rosie's shoulder on the swing. Carter doubts she'll ever be old enough to not find belching funny.

As she sobers, Rosie's locket glints in the sun and catches Carter's eye, so she reaches over and cups it, flicking it open with her thumb to gaze at Rosie's mother and father, the Queen and King of Costa Luna.

"What's it like with royal parents? Are they gone a lot? Go on trips and make speeches and hold meetings?"

Rosie looks down at her parents' smiling faces and hums. "Yes, there are times when they could be very busy. They wouldn't be doing their job if they weren't kept aware of what was happening in the country, how the people were living, if they were happy or had grievances… but we are very close. Although I had many tutors and staff at my disposal, Mother and Father always made time to be with me, teach me lessons that would help me in life."

Carter smiles softly, "Yea… I guess me and dad are like that too. He was gone a lot on missions and whatever, but he'd always have a life lesson or a story to tell when he was around…"

"How long has your father been with the Princess Protection Program?"

"Dad used to be military, that's where he did most of his training, until he was selected by PPP when I was four or five. He was one of their best agents though, so he got promoted real quick, and got sent away a lot more." Carter's eyes go unfocused as she continues, in a softer voice, "Eventually, mom couldn't take it anymore – said she couldn't raise this family by herself… and I got in a lot of trouble at school when I was younger, so I guess… maybe…" Carter shakes her head and drops Rosie's locket. "Anyway, she left. So like, whatever," Carter finishes abruptly and takes a swig of soda.

Rosie is skilled enough in personal communication to know that Carter doesn't want an apology. So instead she puts her hand on Carter's shoulder lightly and says, "Thank you for telling me about her."

Carter raises her eyebrows as she looks back at Rosie over her shoulder, but just shrugs silently, taking another sip of soda. Rosie follows her example, then changes the subject of discussion.

"Your friend Edwin. He seems like a very nice boy."

Carter lets out a hard laugh, but a genuine smile comes to her lips, "Yea, he's kind of a dweeb, but he's a good guy. He's been a really good friend, ever since I shoved Steven Gautreaux in the playground for spitting on him. Even though he's two years older than me, he kinda follows my lead. Dad calls us 'misfits that fit together'."

"You two seem very close."

Rosie's tone suggests nothing assuming, but Carter goes ahead and remarks, "Just so we're clear, Ed's just a friend. He's just – " Carter can't contain the laugh that interrupts her sentence, "- just not my type."

"Ah, I see. Then, boys like Donny fit into your preferred 'type'?"

Carter balks and almost spills what's left of her soda. "Let's uh… let's just not talk about boys anymore, kay?"

Rosie finds the blush that creeps onto Carter's face endearing. "As you wish."

Carter clears her throat loudly and kicks hard against the ground to get the swing to move again. It takes a while for her cheeks to lose their reddish hue, especially since Rosie won't stop looking at her. But luckily she is saved when she hears the crunch of the gravel from the driveway, signifying that Mason is back from his trip to the super market.

"C'mon, dad's home. Let's see if he still remembers what a spaghetti dinner looks like – last time we tried it, he came home with Japanese ramen noodles," Carter jokes as she jumps off the swing. Rosie slips off gracefully and flattens out her jeans before walking alongside her.

"Pasta is a very easy meal to make, I am confident it will not be a problem; especially considering that _you_ will be helping him, my new cooking protégé," Rosie smiles winningly.

"Err, we'll see about that," Carter fires back with a quirked grin. "I'll tell ya this much; I _refuse_ to wear one of those flowery aprons."

~~\/~~

"Can you feel that, Rosie?"

The princess leans her head back, her eyes looking to the wooden ceiling of Carter's bedroom as she sighs quietly, "Yes, Carter."

Carter's finger is trailing lightly around Rosie's wound, eliciting goosebumps from her soft touch. Rosie sits relaxed, leaning on her hands as she holds her injured leg out a bit to aid Carter's inspection. It's obvious that she's very tired, especially after all that happened today. Carter's still got some homework to do, but she'll insist that Rosie goes to bed early, for school tomorrow.

"And over here?" Carter pokes just above the wound, where the skin is still inflamed and red.

"Yes..." Rosie breathes wearily.

"And… what about that?"

Rosie scrunches her face up in a way that Carter could only describe as adorable – if Carter were the type of girl to describe things with that word. "No… I can't feel –"

Rosie is met with a clever smirk on Carter's face, her fingers wiggling several inches away from Rosie's leg. "That's good, since I didn't touch you," the tomboy chuckles and flicks Rosie's kneecap with her finger. Carter then pops the cap on the ointment tube and squeezes out a small amount onto her finger, focusing intently on rubbing it onto Rosie's skin. Rosie again finds herself studying the way Carter cares for her wound, knowledgeable and efficient, and it puts Rosie at ease.

"You are quite a medic, Carter Mason. You are calm and brave in the face of grim injuries."

"Uh, thanks, but this is hardly grim. It's more like… icky," Carter laughs lamely as she caps the tube of ointment and reaches for a new rolled up bandage.

"That may be true, but I still find you to be confident and astute." Carter's face burns and she fumbles with the bandage, dropping it and watching as it rolls under the bed. Carter moves down to the floor to grab it, but Rosie leans forward to help her, and when Carter sits back up, she knocks her head right into Rosie's chin.

"Ahssht!" Carter hisses as she reaches up to rub her head, before giggling softly, "I guess you can scratch off _graceful_ from your list of 'adjectives that describe Carter'."

Rosie laughs genuinely while rubbing her chin. Carter finishes her job and leans back on her hands, and the girls share a smile that brightens the dim of Carter's room.

~To be continued


	6. Amiable

** Venomous Part 6 – Amiable**

_Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects._

_Summary: A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. Rosie helps Carter find the princess within herself as they assume their nominations of Homecoming Princesses._

The start of homeroom on Monday is rife with chatter about who's to be nominated as a princess for the homecoming dance. Carter slumps tiredly in her seat, her head resting on her shoulders, until Rosie prods her gently, "Carter, aren't you excited to vote? This will be my first experience with the democratic process, I'm quite thrilled."

"I suggest you lower your expectations, Rosie. It's not a democracy, it's a popularity contest," Carter mumbles to the crook of her elbow. Rosie blinks but opens her mouth and tries again, "Well, wouldn't those who are popular be considered as such because of their outstanding qualities?"

"Pfft, no one in this school has outstanding qualities. And no, generally it's the hottest kids that are popular. It's like natural selection or something."

Undiscouraged, Rosie leans in and whispers, "Well, I think I know of one person with outstanding qualities, so I shall vote for her." Rosie nudges Carter's shoulder until the lackluster tomboy looks her way, the princess almost bouncing as though she holds the most amazing secret in the world. Carter lifts her cheeks in a struggling smile and sticks her thumb up to the air, then quickly resigns to the pull of gravity and plops back down on her desk.

A minute later Carter gets handed her sheet of paper, and she sneers at it. She twirls her pen around her knuckles for a moment, considering writing a profanity in the blank space provided for nomination, but thinks better of it. Instead she snorts at her own clever immaturity and scribbles Bull's name, underlining it passionately and then folding it up, her eyes immediately finding the back of the big jerk's polo shirt. Her attention is drawn to Rosie, whose eyes dance around the room, taking in the sight of democracy in action, or whatever. She'll find out by the end of the day what waste of time this was, as the results will show overwhelmingly who the (drama) queens are of the school.

Throughout the day people keep talking about it, and in the halls, Rosie is several times stopped by some random person and told, "I voted for you, because I think you're nice/pretty/ have a great ass," (the last one prompted Carter to smack Deaux Reese on the arm, _hard_).

"Freakin' idiots," Carter mumbles as Deaux trots back to his friends and receives multiple high-fives. "See, I told you. It's just a popularity contest, key factor being looks."

"Well, regardless of one's reasons, democracy is fascinating and I am gracious for any votes I may receive," Rosie waves back to Deaux and his boys and smiles politely in thanks. Carter groans and pushes Rosie ahead toward math class in double time.

~~\/~~

Rosie grabs Carter's hand and jogs excitedly to the cafeteria after school, where the announcements for Homecoming Princesses are about to be made. Carter however would much rather head to the bus and get the front seat before the other kids start piling in; Carter's grown kinda close to Helen the bus driver, who says she knows how hard it is growing up with a single dad – not that Carter will admit to anything like that; she just likes Helen's stories of her country-rock singing old man. But that's not what happens today.

Carter's too numb at the shock of being named a Princess that she doesn't even register when Rosie hugs her tightly, but she does register a distinct feeling of dread and guilt when Rosie is announced one as well – being a Homecoming Princess is certainly no way to keep your head down whilst in hiding. Carter quickly vacates the cafeteria with Rosie in a death grip.

But perhaps what is most embarrassing is the fact that even when Carter is elected Princess, Donny still can't even acknowledge her. He stopped the girls just after the announcement, and he's suddenly all "ooh, Princess Rosie, go to the dance with me," and Carter just feels so _stupid_ for pining over that tall, handsome, muscle-y, good-looking jerkwad for all these years. He can't even remember her name! What kinda prick can't remember the name of a classmate they've had since before they learned the multiplication tables!

Carter seethes for the whole ride home, unresponsive to Rosie's concerned looks and brief touches and soft inquiries. She finally explodes when she opens the door to her bedroom, and kinda wishes Rosie wasn't there because she'd really like to punch her pillow and then cry into it. It's hard for the bait girl to listen to Rosie try to cheer her up, to hear the exact opposite of what her self-conscious is telling her – that she _is_ special, she _is_ deserving of someone, someone better than Donny. That she _is_ a princess.

And suddenly, Carter feels pretty lucky that Rosie is there, because somehow, the things she's saying about Donny and about her self-worth are kinda working, and Carter feels a little less like an idiot for the moment.

"OK, so now that I've finally got my chance to take revenge on Chelsea by taking her Homecoming crown, how are we gonna convince the whole school by Friday that I'm princess material, hmm?" Carter asks as she leans back in her chair. Rosie shifts on Carter's bed to sit daintily on her leg and gets a contemplative look on her face.

"Well… service to your people is a key priority to a princess."

"So like… community service? Like babysitting and highway cleanup and giving to the poor?"

"…Baby...Sitting?" Rosie asks with apprehension and wide eyes.

"Never mind. It's not how it sounds." Carter waves her hand at the subject, smiling to herself in slight exasperation. "But anyway, yea….community service…" Carter takes a moment to think, unaware she's being studied by Rosie, who has suddenly taken notice of the pretty shine of Carter's brown eyes in the afternoon light. Earlier today Rosie took notice of the way Carter's hair sometimes curls at the ends, and wondered if it's natural or if it's just from Carter twirling the strands around her finger. Rosie wants to twirl a lock and see for herself, but she refrains. There's a strange hesitancy in her chest, but that's probably just because it would be rude to interrupt Carter in her thinking.

Carter looks around her room and remarks, "This house is full of old things we don't use anymore, we can donate some stuff at the thrift store this weekend... And..." Carter walks to her desk and opens up her laptop, "… I think the library has a 'read to kids' thing, we can check online."

"That sounds excellent! Promoting education is a top priority of any royal figure," Rosie claps her hands together in front of her chest in excitement, encouraging Carter's brainstorm.

"Yea… ok, and how about tutoring at school then? Exams are being held next week, we'd probably get a lot of interested people. I know I could use your help for French class."

"_Magnifique!"_ Rosie comes to stand just behind Carter and rests her hands on the tomboy's shoulder. Carter feels warm and actually pretty psyched to be planning all this stuff. It's all a bit last minute and no one's probably gonna care that she suddenly has an interest in extracurricular activities, but… Carter wants to do this. For Rosie. She wants to make her proud. She wants to prove something to the royal princess... and prove something to herself.

~~\/~~

As the days pass, Carter finds herself surprised at how the idea of her being a Homecoming Princess is gradually moving from Ridiculous Joke to Unlikely Probability to Potentially Like, For Realsies. A decent amount of students signed up with Rosie and Carter for tutoring (more for Rosie than Carter, but Carter doesn't mind), and the afternoon librarian was positively joyful at the success of Carter's reading of "The Hungry Caterpillar" and Rosie's translation of the French classic "The Little Prince."

Rosie finds Carter on Thursday afternoon in an impeccable mood, humming loudly to herself as she darts about in the bait shop, organizing shelves and checking inventory. Rosie can't hide the bright smile that bursts onto her face at the sight. She's content to watch until Carter catches her over her shoulder.

"Oh hello there Princess!" Carter greets excitedly.

"Carter, please!" Rosie lowers her voice and looks around cautiously, "What if someone hears you?"

Carter shakes her head and raises her hands in defense, "No I meant like, Homecoming Princess. Not like, Princess Princess." Rosie blinks and opens her mouth to retort, but Carter adds quickly, "Eh, ok, whatever. Anyway, forget about that. Come and help me out here."

Carter steps back from the worktable and reveals the large shipment of new tackle and line. "I wanna catalog and shelve all this before dad comes home. He normally does it, but he had his big Recruitment Survey today and I'm sure he's had enough with picking over tiny details for one day."

Rosie stands next to Carter and inspects a shiny bit between her thumb and forefinger. "What are these?"

Carter answers by heaving a large 3-ring binder full of papers in plastic sheet covers onto the work bench. "New shipment of fishing tackle. All the bits and pieces you need, or could ever want, for wrangglin' up some fishies. We gotta sort 'em and tag 'em for inventory, according to this here catalog. One of the more tedious tasks of working at Joe's Bait Shop, but there ya go."

Rosie makes an assumption that Carter's southern vernacular seems to slip out more when she's in a good mood, and Rosie hopes that she remains in such a disposition, because she really likes the way it sounds.

"All right; tell me what to do."

"With pleasure, my fellow _Homecoming Princess Nominee_," Carter teases lightly.

The job that normally takes Mason about 3 hours to complete takes the two girls little over an hour, and is tenfold times more enjoyable. Carter occasionally cracks a joke, the basic "knock, knock" and "There are two muffins in an oven" variety - just sharing some American humor with the foreigner, and Rosie can't get enough of it. Rosie tells a story of once paving a meticulous mosaic out of colored pebbles for her Mother's birthday. Henry the Gardens Keeper helped her design it and taught her the proper way to anchor the little stones into the settling paste-work. Working with these tiny, shiny little bits of tackle reminds her of the experience now.

"How much longer do we have until your father returns?" Rosie asks as she puts away a large plastic bin with a collection of newly sorted and tagged merchandise onto a shelf. Carter looks at her cell phone in her pocket and replies, "About half an hour or so. We might wanna order dinner too, I know he'll be exhausted."

"What does he do at this Recruitment Survey that is so fatiguing?"

"It happens every couple years. The PPP needs new agents, and although they picked some real good players, they need the senior agents, like my dad, to sort through profiles and interviews to see if they are really cut out for the job. So it's a lot of detail memorization and talking, plus the pressure of knowing your choice of the next agent could affect the safety of a royal somewhere in the world. Dad usually gets home with just enough energy left to shovel something into his mouth and collapse onto the couch."

"Wow... your father does a lot of important work, Carter. I never thought a soldier would be so ... extraordinary."

Carter blushes a little and takes off her red Bait Shop hat, focusing her attention on flicking some dirt off the edge of the brim. "Yea... he's really amazing. And he means the world to me, he's all I got left..."

Rosie's gaze softens and she reaches her hand out to hold Carter's, "And I know that you mean the world to him as well."

Carter shares a small smile with Rosie for as long as she can keep her face from turning even redder. She doesn't know why she's feeling embarrassed, only that being under Rosie's close gaze is making her feel vulnerable and making her heart pound in her ears. Finally she chuckles to erase the tension and reaches over to slide her red cap onto Rosie's head.

"Back to work, Darlin'." Rosie chuckles as well and reaches her hand up to adjust the brim of the hat that was slid too far down over her face, hiding her eyes. "And what's this?"

"Princess, for the next 20 minutes, _this_ - " Carter spreads her hands out to her sides and twirls around - "is your kingdom, and _that_ is your crown. You're in charge while I go order dinner and get ready for dad's inevitably early night on the couch."

"You're - you're leaving me alone in the Bait Shop?" Rosie asks tentatively, remembering the last time she was in a similar predicament, and how it ended rather... unpleasantly. But Cater just taps the hat back down over Rosie's eyes and says, "I trust you. You'll be fine."

And Rosie feels her spirit soar at those words and her heart flutter at Carter's charming grin.

~~\/~~

The next night, Carter's helping clean up the kitchen and unload the dishwasher while Rosie sits in their room doing homework. Mason, packing up the leftovers and putting dirty pots into the sink, breaks the comfortable silence that has grown between them.

"So pal, how're things with your 'cousin' going, hmm? You seem a bit more relaxed now than… a few days ago."

Showing a small smile as she leans down to grab plates from the dishwasher and swipe the towel over them, Carter replies, "Things are better. Good, actually. I may have misjudged her when she first showed up…"

Carter stands and turns toward Mason, who looks utterly fatherly while wiping his hands on a towel and leaning against the counter, and she continues honestly, "She's… Rosie's cool... in a weird way. I think we're... kinda friends now."

"Shocking," Mason teases with a wink. Carter huffs and throws her towel at him, then jumps up on the countertop, lazily putting away plates and cups into the high cabinets.

"Can I talk to you about something kiddo?" Mason asks suddenly, walking over to the edge of the kitchen where a stack of papers lies.

"Yea dad?" Carter asks, suspicious. Mason holds up a few papers, some are letters, and some are colorful flyers… but clearly visible in the upper left corners are the emblems of various colleges and universities. "It's about plans for you-know-what."

"Ugh," Carter groans.

"I know, I know, it's a lot to handle. But it's almost the end of your junior year, and these are just gonna keep coming and coming. I didn't really wanna pounce on you about this since Rosie just got here – I thought you'd have enough on your plate already. But we gotta talk about it sometime." Mason tosses the letters and papers onto the kitchen table and rests his hands on the edge, his gaze focused on his daughter. "So, whaddya think, pal?"

"You already know what I think about it. Nothing." Carter looks away from her father's eyes. "There's nothing out there that I wanna do. I don't really have a passion or anything, I don't know what I wanna do or be. The routine doesn't interest me – go to college, find a job, start a family. That's just not me."

Mason sighs heavily. "Still no idea, huh? None of your friends are planning anything that might interest you?"

"The friends I do have, you mean?"

"Hey, c'mon now - "

"You say it yourself all the time dad, I'm a misfit here. But so far as I know… there's nothing outside of Lake Monroe for me either… I just… I don't wanna live life in the mundane… I don't want a 9-5 for the rest of my life, with only 2 weeks of vacation time off a year to dream. I don't wanna be that girl."

Mason stands up and scratches his five o'clock shadow, but smiles softly. "I know where you're coming from, pal. I wouldn't wanna be that girl either, " he jokes. Clearing his throat, Carter's dad crumples up the letters and tosses them into the trash. "We've got time. We'll find something for you, kid."

With Mason's hand falling heavy on Carter's head to mess up her hair, Carter can't help but feel lighter. "I doubt there's another dad like you on the planet," she smiles genuinely.

"Good, I like being the best."

"Who said anything about 'best' "? Carter shoves Mason's hand away and dodges out behind him, kicking his butt with the back of her foot. Mason raises his eyes in mock shock, "So that mug you bought me means _nothing?_" He tries to grab her hands but she employs fast blocks and escapes his grasps. Walking backwards away from him towards her room, she holds her hands in the shape of a heart against her chest and smiles, "Goodnight Dad." Mason waves his hands in defeat in her direction, then calls out "Goodnight, Carter."

Despite her uplifted mood instilled by her father, Carter's thoughts still turn toward the future as she gathers her shower things and barely glances at Rosie in her green sweater and jeans, gazing out of the window. If Carter wasn't so caught up in her own thoughts, she might have noticed the saddened, faraway look that Rosie had about her too.

As Carter lets the shower water run down her face, her mind keeps rolling. She thinks of her life, her childhood, trying to find that one passion that everyone has, that driving desire that leads people to follow their dreams and get the jobs that they love and the lives they want. She can't pinpoint anything. She liked coloring books more than she thought was normal, and she went through a dinosaur phase at 7, but that's about it. She's not about to become an Art Major or study Paleontology. Her mind drifts to Rosie, as it has been want to do for the past couple of days.

Rosie will get to travel the world. Carter will most likely get a dead-end job in Lake Monroe. She's got no ambitions, except the highest possible ambitions of wanting to do something good for the world, make a difference. Everyone talks about college plans, degrees of study – Carter simply has no interest. Sure, she's not exactly poor, her grades aren't exactly dismal – if she wanted to, she could get into a pretty good school, she's positive. But why must she follow the fold? What difference would she make by doing that?

"Ahhgh, my head hurts," Carter whispers to herself.

~~\/~~

When Carter walks into her room after her shower, she finds Rosie quickly swiping her cheeks daintily, trying to hide tears. Rosie smiles sheepishly at her, and Carter sways on the spot, unsure what to do… but she knows she wants to make Rosie feel better. So, without saying anything, she sits down next to Rosie.

Rosie regards her expectantly, but Carter just stares at the floor and pinches the hem of her boxer shorts for a minute, before lightly bumping her shoulder into Rosie's and says, "If you wanna talk... I wanna listen."

Rosie chokes lightly in amusement and swipes at the corner of her eyes again. "It's just the same thing as always - I miss my family and home terribly. I am still worried... And I... I feel a sense of guilt, because I remain safe here, enjoying my time with you and Mason, while my home is in jeopardy. I am free to laugh and smile but... sometimes I wonder... does my Mother still laugh? Has she had even a single moment of happiness since that horrible man came to our country?"

Carter can't think of anything to say. She hates this General Kane person for doing this to Rosie and her family. Carter bites her bottom lip, grasping for something she could do or say that might give a bit of comfort to Rosie, who's gaze once again looks faraway and full of emotion. Finally, Carter slides a bit closer and wraps her arms around Rosie, pulling her to her chest. Rosie accepts the hug after a second of hesitation, slumping against Carter as her hands go to squeeze Carter's knees in silent thanks. It's silent for a moment, before Carter feels Rosie take a deep breath and releases a shuddering cry. She shakes lightly in Carter's arms, her tears falling down her cheeks in a vulnerable cascade. When Rosie calms down a few moments later, Carter pulls down on her shoulder and directs Rosie to slide down and rest her head on Carter's lap. Carter leans over and places her head in her hand, her elbow resting on Rosie's back. A natural impulse takes over and moves Carter to tuck Rosie's hair behind her ear in a soothing motion. When Carter finally speaks, her voice cracks a little.

"When I was little, I'd miss dad a lot when he'd go off on his missions. I hated it. But he used to tell me something every time before he left. He said, 'Pal, listen here. The world? Ain't as big as we might think. Compared to the sun, it's tiny. A million earths could fit into the sun and there'd still be room.' " Carter's gruff imitation of her father makes Rosie giggle softly. Carter's fingers begin to tangle themselves in Rosie's silky soft hair as her other hand drops to Rosie's shoulder and her thumb moves in tiny circles over the cotton sweater.

"So he told me to just think about the sun. It keeps on shining and it connects us, where ever we are." Carter's eyes get a little glossy now. "... The way you look at the world changes as you get older... but even just the memory, the way he was so sincere, and remembering how I felt completely safe and loved, it just sets my mind at ease a little. It makes things easier." Rosie turns her head to regard Carter as she finishes, "The memory is there to keep you strong when the person you miss isn't."

Rosie gives her a content smile. Carter blinks away the sudden emotion that surfaced behind her eyes and returns the smile. They stay quiet and just stare at each other for a moment, before Rosie sighs and looks back to the floor. "Thank you, Carter."

Carter smiles softly and resumes touching Rosie's hair. How can it be so soft?

"I've never told anyone that story before."

"Truly?"

"Honest," Carter nods. "I've never felt… close enough to anyone. But it felt right to tell you. I thought it might help."

"It did," Rosie sits up and squeezes Carter's hand, "I feel much better now."

" Ok, good. Cool," Carter squeezes back. Rosie wipes her thumb under slightly puffy eyes and stands up. "I suppose I'll shower and then retire for the night."

"Ok. I'll be here with the med kit when you get back. How's your leg feeling, anyway?"

Rosie smiles at Carter's sincerity. "Sometimes I almost forget it is there."

"That sounds like a good sign. Guess that ointment is doing the trick."

"I really admire your strength Carter," Rosie announces unprompted. Carter gives an unabashedly confused face.

"...Pardon?"

Rosie stands a bit straighter and explains, "I am often struck by your seemingly innate knowledge and strength; your competence when you helped bandage my wound that first afternoon, your boldness when you came to my aid at the yogurt shop, and today while reading to those children, your sincerity and warmth really touched me."

Carter feels the beginnings of a furious blush burning into her cheeks and hastens to divert the attention away form her. "Whattaya talkin 'bout I ain't nothin' special or nothin'! Nothin' like you anyhow. You're so graceful and charming and people just love you instantly." Carter shuffles her hand in her hair nervously. "I'm just the bait girl."

"Not to me. You are so much more than what you see in yourself, Carter." Carter feels the warmth in her cheeks spread to a pit in her stomach at Rosie's charming smile and is speechless with a retort. Rosie nods her head quickly and turns on her heels to the bathroom. Carter finds her voice just as Rosie rounds the corner.

"Erh, thank you!" And Carter stands dazed and a little light headed and inexplicably giddy for a couple minutes, before shaking out of her reverie and walking to get the med kit.

~To be continued

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait (something along the lines of A WHOLE YEAR?). Give me the award for Author with the Worst Work Ethic please. Anyway, thank you for sticking with this story. I really appreciate it. More to come soon. No really, I swear. _~A_


	7. Affectionate

**Title:** Venomous Part 7 - Affectionate

**Rating:** PG-13

**Words:** ~3600

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.

**Summary:** The snakebite that once strained the friendship between Carter and Rosie has almost completely healed, mirrored by a healing transformation of feelings in each girl toward the other.

~~\/~~

While the sweet elderly lady at the Lake Monroe Thrift Store counter shifts through the boxes of donations that the girls brought in, Rosie notices Carter entertaining herself by trying on sunglasses and scarves and posing in front of dusty mirrors. Rosie thinks it's cute that the tomboy is showing a little more of her feminine side. This gives her a quaint idea and she smiles charmingly as she leans over the counter and inquires with the woman.

A couple of minutes later, Carter is surprised when Rosie unloads several dresses into her arms and prances off to the back of the shop to an outdoor patio. Carter doesn't fancy playing dress up, but now with Rosie giggling and smiling at her, and the small crowd of little old ladies that have apparently already heard about an imminent fashion show, Carter can hardly say no.

Carter's enjoyment of Dress-Up increases tenfold when she finally picks out a dress that gets the Thumbs Up from the crowd. The way Rosie's jaw dropped and her eyes fell to her feet and moved slowly up to _totally check her out_ was especially rewarding. Carter excitedly grabs Rosie's hand and drags her within the multi-colored changing room to find a dress for her. It doesn't take them long to find the perfect one.

"Been awhile since you've been all poofy and golden, hasn't it? You excited?" Carter teases as she rifles for shoes to match the sheen blonde and white dress. Rosie's big smile lifts up her words as she replies, "Yes, but I am very much excited to see you in such lovely attire as well."

"Eh..." Carter blushes but hides her face further in the box of shoes, continuing her search. "As I'm sure you could tell by my ineptitude with fashion decisions, I'm not exactly 'dress-friendly.' I have a tendency to trip over my own coattails, if you will."

"Do not worry Carter, I can teach you all about dresses. I have been wearing them since before I could speak." Carter finally holds up a proper pair and gets a nod from Rosie in approval. "I'll bet you have, you look fantastic. You could probably pull off the ones I couldn't." Carter feels yet another blush tinge her cheeks when Rosie smiles with her lips and eyes. She breaks eye contact by placing the shoes in front of Rosie and lets Rosie use her shoulder for balance as she slips her feet in. Carter steps back to admire the picture perfect princess, but catches that Rosie's face has fallen somewhat.

"Something wrong?"

Rosie looks at the mirror and shifts to her side, her eyes focusing on her legs. "My snake bite... It's so noticeable when I am not wearing anything below my knees and my shoes do not reach my ankles..."

Carter leans close and examines the leg in the mirror's reflection, which has healed enough that Rosie doesn't need a bandage to cover it all the time. It's a striking red mark along an otherwise flawless expanse of skin. Certainly not as gruesome as it once was, but still something that might catch the eye unbidden.

"You know what? It's gonna look much better on Homecoming night. So don't even worry about it. You'll be so amazing, no one's even going to notice it."

"Do you think it will scar?"

Carter stands up and gathers her hair to the side and behind her neck. "I'm not sure, to be honest. But scars are cool. They're like stories written onto your skin. If it does scar, it'll just tell the story of how we met. And how we became friends. Right?"

This brings a happy smile back to Rosie's face. "Yes. You're right."

" 'Course I am. Now c'mon, let's go show those ladies how fancy we are."

~~\/~~

Back at the Mason home, the living room fan creakily spins above the girls as they sit on the furniture and attempt to tackle some homework. Rosie is inclined to believe that it's the heat, and not the repetitive math problems making her head feel heavy with sleep. Across from her, Carter clears her throat and remarks, "God, it's like, super hot," while tugging at her shirt uncomfortably. Her gaze is drawn to the lake and with a quick smile, she asks Rosie, "Hey, you know how to swim?"

The golden yellow rays of late afternoon sunlight make the lake seem darker and cooler, and a mite foreboding, Rosie observes with a nervous laugh as she peers over the edge of the dock. Carter feels it'd be a bit too mean to push Rosie in, at least for now, so instead she grabs her hand and toes up to the edge, giving the princess a winning smile before counting to three. They jump together, with Rosie screaming and closing her eyes, and Carter doesn't let go of her hand until they both breech the surface for air, laughing loudly.

The lake ripples as wind rushes over the surface, the trees mirroring the motion, and when Carter's arms lift from the water as she swims, her skin sparkles and shines like some sort of flowing silk. The visual stirs within Rosie a desire to touch her. The princess is in a pair of Carter's grey gym shorts and a light blue tank top that clings to her curves when she climbs out of the water onto the dock. Carter joins her up on the wet wood, in the only bikini she owns and a pair of short boardies on hanging low on her hips, and flops onto her back, ready to bask in the slowly sinking sun until she's dry.

"I can honestly say Carter, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself today. Thanks to you."

"I think the best days are the ones that have no real plan. Stuff just happens, and it turns out great," Carter smirks with her eyes closed, stretching her arms lazily above her head. Rosie turns her head and takes in the sight of Carter, relaxed, at ease. Happy.

"I have heard it said that such a philosophy is called 'going with the flow.' I would be inclined to agree that it is quite delightful in its simplicity."

Carter sighs heavily and flops her head to the side to give Rosie a raised eyebrow, "Ok, now really. We _have_ to do something about you and your love of unnecessarily long and drawn out sentences. Here, in Ah-mer-ri-cah, we like our contractions. Our can'ts, won'ts, don'ts, couldn'ts, shouldn'ts."

"Oh… I was not aware it was of such importance to you… I am sorry."

"It's not really a big deal, it's just, people notice when you take forever to say stuff. You can't blend in if you don't speak like us. And it's _'I'm sorry'_."

"All right. I'm sorry. And… I'll make more of an effort to speak with contractions."

" 'Kay cool. You could also do with more slang. 'Sweet, awesome, dude, cool, crap.' Little things that make you sound more like the distracted and disgruntled teenager you're supposed to be."

"I suppose I have much to work on, then."

"Don't stress - I can be your life coach," Carter grins and holds up her hand for a high-five, which Rosie gives happily. They fall lazily back to their resting positions as the warm breeze spreads over their cool bodies. Carter lets herself drift off to sub-consciousness. She feels Rosie lean her forehead against her shoulder. Carter lightly tangles her fingers with Rosie's left hand next to her. And the sun sets slowly beyond the horizon of the lake.

~~\/~~

The sound of evening in Lake Monroe surrounds them, critters and creatures beginning to stir in the dying light of day, the warmth of the Mason household extending to all corners, a satisfying meal completed and dishes in the dishwasher, both girls wearing their newly purchased Thrift Store dresses now in Carter's room. Now Carter looks like a princess. They share sweet smiles in the mirror as Rosie places the plastic crown atop Carter's head, and Carter feels light headed and warm, almost hot, like her skin is buzzing. Rosie sobers so that her smile shines just from her eyes and the very corners of her lips, and Carter catches herself being drawn to their light sheen and pink color. She feels Rosie's hand settle on the small of her back and her right forearm. Carter wants to turn and face her, but she's scared. It's like there's an intense battle being waged within her, and she is helpless to do anything but just stand still and think about how her skin is burning where Rosie is touching her.

"Carter... I..." And looking into the lost princess's eyes, Carter can tell Rosie is struggling with a battle too, and Carter turns her head to look at her over her shoulder. Their faces are really close, and Carter can only whisper because her voice just can't find the strength to be any louder, "...Yea?"

"...There's something... this unfamiliar feeling...?"

And Carter's eyes search Rosie's face, she's searching for some answer that she doesn't even know the question to, but she quietly says "Yes..." because she knows that she's feeling _something _too_._

Her head feels fuzzy and there's something very powerful stopping her body from moving even an inch, but all Carter can think about now is closing her eyes and putting her lips against Rosie's soft-looking mouth.

Carter blinks when the sound of the kitchen screen door is heard slapping closed, and not a second later Ed rambles in loudly, "Sorry I'm late y'all, just got off work. C'mon, game's gonna start in a half hour." He stops in his tracks and takes in the scene inside Carter's room.

"... It's just a football game guys, no need to get all fancy."

The girls look down at their very formal princess attire and Carter takes the interruption to step away from Rosie and the mirror and focuses her attention on Ed so that she can distract herself from what just happened in her quiet room. "Ed, you know I don't care one way or t'other 'bout football, I ain't going to some stupid Homecoming game."

"Oh is this the game that's been featured on all those posters around the high school?" Rosie asks.

"Yea it is, and since Carter is a _Homecoming Princess_ it's kinda her duty to show up to the _Homecoming Game_. I brought my camera! I need this footage Carter, c'mon," Ed pleads.

"Oh yes please Carter, may we attend? Football is _the_ American pastime, I must see it." Carter rolls her eyes at Rosie as Ed steps up next to her.

"Yea Carter, _the American pastime_. You live in the South, football's a big deal whether you like it or not. Let's show this royal princess what Americans do best, yea?" Ed wiggles his eyebrows and claps a hand on Rosie's shoulder, both leaning excitedly in towards Carter, waiting for her verdict.

A couple of weeks ago Carter would have no problem shrugging off the princess's pleas, but now, her heart is inexplicably tied to Rosie's smile, and she just can't refuse her.

"Ughhhhghhghhhrrrrrgh," Carter groans as she goes to her dresser to find a casual outfit to wear. Ed high-fives Rosie and dashes out the door, honking every so often from his dad's truck as he waits for them.

At the game, Carter already feels a headache coming on as they sit on the bleachers overlooking the field, just minutes before the start and the crowd is buzzing with excitement. Carter thinks she can smell beer somewhere behind her, and when she bent down to tie her shoe she definitely smelled marijuana coming from below.

Principal Burkle strides to the middle of the field with a microphone and makes an announcement over the loudspeaker. He promotes the Homecoming Dance that's scheduled for next week Friday and wishes students good luck on their coming exams. Finally, he repeats the names of the Homecoming Princesses and congratulates them. Chelsea is near the front row of the stands, decked out in Lake Monroe Yellow and Blue, eating up the attention and waving to the audience. Ed swings his camera about wildly, trying to get shots of the Principal, the Princesses, and the crowd.

Rosie smiles wide when her name is called, and gives a very proper Princess Diana-esque wave. Carter meanwhile hides her face as her name is echoed through the sound system, but Rosie grabs her hand and holds it high, causing Carter to smile sheepishly and feel butterflies flop in her stomach. It's hard not to be nervous when the whole school is looking in your direction, but Rosie makes it worse with her other hand gripping Carter's shirt near her ribcage.

It doesn't take long before Carter is desperately bored. The plays stop almost every 5 seconds, and Carter just can't keep her attention on the game. Rosie is sitting demurely next to Carter and keeping her face forward but her eyes are not focused on the field. Taking a chance, Carter leans over and asks quietly, "Are you as bored as I am?"

Rosie looks at Carter with wide eyes, "N-no, of course not! American football is very complex and intriguing and - " Carter shoots her a disbelieving frown. "... yes. I am disinterested in this game," Rosie admits shyly, hanging her head.

"Good. Come with me," and Carter takes Rosie by the hand and together they wander around the field and behind bleachers. They cross paths with a few other bored game-goers, some of whom Carter has a distinct feeling are running gambles or making deals in the shadows of the metal stands. Carter can't blame them, since football games are prime events to make a little extra dough down in the South. But she glares off any one who might try to approach them, especially with a girl as gullible as Rosie by her side. Walking a little further to a more deserted area, to their surprise they happen upon a sniveling Brooke, who tries to daintily wipe her tears away without ruining her make-up. Rosie is the first to approach her.

"Brooke..? What happened? What has upset you?"

Brooke puffs up her chest and scowls at them, but then she deflates and starts crying again. "... Chelsea hates me!" She laments.

"Oh I highly doubt that. You're her evil minion," Carter supplies sarcastically while crossing her arms.

"Not anymore! Since I lost the Princess crown she hasn't talked to me, and tonight when I tried to sit next to her on the stands, she totally blew me off! Now she's hanging out with Clarissa Marks, that little curly-haired... urrrrgh!"

"Brooke, I don't get why you're friends with her," Carter replies, a bit softer this time. "I'm not friends with Clarissa!" Brooke stomps in anger. "No, I mean Chelsea! She's mean and nasty and she just uses you for her own gain."

The upset girl softens a bit, "We've been best friends since kindergarten. I don't know how to be anyone else's friend." Brooke tries wiping her tears away again, but she leaves a dark mascara mark along her cheek.

"You don't need to know how. You just... be yourself, and friends will start showing up before you know it. You just gotta... let them get close to you." Carter shares a small smile with Rosie.

"Yea but... Chelsea says I'm too dumb to make any other friends."

This upsets Carter, so used to Chelsea's effortless put-downs. "Oh yea, well Chelsea is a stinkin' liar and a drama queen! Don't listen to her!"

"Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about!"

"But Brooke, is she really?" Rosie offers, trying to calm her as she gets on edge.

"Yea! Yea... she is. And I'm not gonna stand here and listen to you bad mouth her! I'm gonna go think of ways to get her back."

"Fine. Do what you want. I don't care," Carter snips.

"No, you do what YOU want, because I DON'T CARE!" and with that Brooke stalks off. As usual Carter is left a little confused by Brooke. "...Ooookay then, " she shares a half-hearted shrug with Rosie before they head back to the game.

The girls arrived next to Ed just as the game finally got interesting. They watched as the Lake Monroe team scored the last two touchdowns by blowing through an impressive defensive line and winning the game. The crowd erupted with cheers from Lake Monroe supporters. Even Carter was clapping.

~~\/~~

As they leave the bleachers to stand on the grass under the bright lights, waiting for the crowd to disperse so they can cross the field to the parking lot on the other side, Carter hears a high-pitched whistle come from the side. A young boy wearing a camouflage hat and hiking boots almost too big for his tiny frame is leaning over and staring at Rosie's legs. "Wheeeew man, dat's a mighty bite! Ya get it from a King?" he asks in a drawling country accent.

Looking down, Carter notices that Rosie's scar is almost spotlighted in the bright field lights, left clearly visible on her left calf by the pair of Carter's capris that she is wearing. Carter is wary instantly, worried about Rosie getting self-conscious, but Rosie instead has a slightly confused face.

"I'm sorry? No, I believe you are mistaken, I was bitten by a snake, not a royal -"

The boy interrupts her quickly, "Sheesh yeah ya were! A Kingsnake! Mah brother got bit once and cried his fool head off. Was a nasty scar though, I tell you what. Yours looks a heckuva lot better though..." And the boy crouches down to get a good look at Rosie's leg, much to her slight discomfort.

"Oh I see. So you believe it was a Kingsnake that bit me?"

"Pretty sure, Ma'am. Them puncture wounds ain't too deep, like a venomous snakebite. This one was just givin' you a warning." Carter is put-off by this kid. How can you tell the difference between a rattlesnake bite and a Kingsnake bite? _He's probably just bull shittin',_ Carter thinks spitefully.

"Oh, my. I'll admit I was frightened of being poisoned when I was bit. But Carter here was very efficient and tended my wound with expert care, with the help of her father's anti-venom kit."

"Pfft, what kinda crock is that? Er'ebody knows that Kings ain't poisonous!" Carter's eyes flash and she steps up half in front of Rosie and says through clenched teeth, "For your information, it was anti-venom premedication. I'm not stupid! It was a precaution."

Rosie picks up on Carter's mood shift and lays her hand on her shoulder, "It's all right Carter..."

"It's just lucky that she wasn't poisoned because I was in too bad of a mood to care back then," Carter continues huffily. The boy stands back up but seems to shrink in his big boots and ruffles his hair sheepishly.

"Sorry Ma'am, I didn't mean no disrespect. I just got a lil' excited s'all. Snakes are kinda mah thing, see, e'er since I was little. I wanna study 'em when I get older."

"That's nice that you've found a dream," Carter sneers, erecting her sarcastic guard instantly; she doesn't trust this know-it-all pipsqueak for a second.

"Erh, what exac'ly was you doin' dat pissed dis one off? Ya know, dem Kings are normally real gentle creatures. Some people keep 'em as pets."

"Rosie is new 'round these parts, she went wanderin' foolishly." Carter supplies, tiring of this conversation.

Rosie steps between the two bickering children. "Well, thank you for your input, Mister... ?"

"Ah, name's Charlie," the boy smiles and holds out his hand. Rosie shakes his hand cordially and continues, "Yes, thank you Charlie. Kingsnakes sound very interesting, I applaud you for striving for higher education. Have a nice night. Now, Carter, shall we go to Edwin's car?"

"With pleasure," Carter mumbles, and stalks off ahead of them. Charlie waves goodbye and Rosie has to jog to catch up.

~~\/~~

Rosie is still wary around Carter when Ed drops them off back home. She follows behind her by a few steps as Carter leads them to the front door, but the miffed tomboy stops just short of it. Rosie tilts her head as Carter sighs and looks over her shoulder. "Wanna go on a walk around the lake with me?"

The minutes pass by in silence, save for the cacophony of insects and woodland creatures stalking the grounds. Carter kicks dirt with her shoe every few steps. Rosie is content to wait for Carter to speak.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Rosie. That kid was just edging me the wrong way."

"That's all right, Carter. He was very excitable, I understand your frustrations."

"Not really though," Carter says quietly and stops to look out over the lake, the breeze revealing itself in slow ripples across the surface visible by the waxing moon overhead.

"I... I never you told you this, but I was really scared that day. When you got bit. I put on a brave face, but really I wasn't thinking clearly. It's just like that kid said, if I had given you the wrong injection, you could have been in a lot more danger. I was afraid it was a rattlesnake bite, but I couldn't tell. And I couldn't decide which vial to use so I just did the adrenaline shot and was going to wait it out, hoping that Dad would show up. But then, you know, I got angry and stalked off, and I felt so guilty about that. I mean... it could have been a lot worse. And I just abandoned you like that..."

"Carter, I had no idea you... why didn't you talk to me?"

"Because I wasn't close to you back then. In fact I came pretty close to hating you on most days. I couldn't just admit my mistake to you. Not when you were so perfect, and I was so flawed."

Rosie moves closer, "Carter, please don't -"

"No, I know, I don't think like that anymore." Carter grabs hold of one of Rosie's hands, "You've taught me better, Rosie. I see my self-worth now when I look in the mirror. But back then it was hard. And that's why I acted so cold to you. And I'm so sorry." Carter feels her eyes begin to water so she blinks rapidly and looks off to the side. But Rosie stills sees it, and she pulls Carter into a tight embrace.

"Carter... a hero may have knowledge, but without bravery and heart, she can do little to help others. You showed me that day that you have an incredible heart and are fearlessly brave. You still saved me."

Carter lays her head on Rosie's shoulder and lets the night air dry her moist eyes.

"You're a hero to me, Carter."

~To be continued

**A/N: **Look at me updating quickly! Are you surprised? Are you? I'll bet you are. Anyway, I am working on the next chapters a little bit everyday, so it is looking quite plausible that I will finish this fic relatively soon. And, starting in the next chapter, the drama is going to start up (I know, I just love spending time on character development) and we'll be right on track with what happens as the Homecoming Dance looms on the horizon. Thanks for reading.


	8. Solicitous

**Title:** Venomous Part 8 - Solicitous

**Rating:** PG-13

**Words:** ~3600

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.

**Summary:** Troubles in Costa Luna reach the ears of fugitive Princess Rosalinda, interrupting her fairy tale life in Louisiana. But Carter has no intention of letting her friend be put in danger.

~~\/~~

"Wake up, pal," calls Mason's gruff but clearly excited voice next to Carter's head, his burly hand on her shoulder, rousing her from sleep.

"Wassahah?" Carter mumbles, her hands rubbing her eyes before she looks at her wall clock glowing dimly in the early morning darkness. "...Daaaaad, I have to work at the bait shop in an hour, lemme sleep," Carter huffs as she tries to find sanctuary under her pillow.

"Not today pal, you're taking the morning off. We're goin' fishing!"

Carter lifts the pillow off her head, "You serious?"

"Serious as a squirrel's hankerin' for nuts. Now git, the sun's coming up soon," he slaps her butt over her blankets and heads for the door, "And you too Rosie, rise & shine over there!" Rosie turns over in her bed and blinks her sleepy eyes at the two of them. "Fishing?" Mason nods, salutes, and is out the door in a flash, soon to be heard rambling in the kitchen.

As Carter pulls on her jeans, she catches Rosie gingerly releasing her left leg from the confines of the sheet. Rosie sees her inquisitive gaze and offers, "It hurts a little in the mornings."

"Mmmh, that's probably normal. It feels better later though, right?"

Rosie reaches down and rubs lightly at her snakebite, the bright pink flesh flexible and new. "Yes, it feels fine as the day goes on."

"Good, I'm glad. Get dressed and meet us in the kitchen; oh, and bring a jacket, it's pretty chilly out on the lake 'til the sun comes up."

The woods around Lake Monroe were strangely quiet in the dim hours before the Sunday sunrise as the three of them launched the fishing boat into the water and paddled out. The breeze was calm and the boat was the only source of ripples on the lake. There was a comfortable silence between them as they enjoyed the peace of the scene.

Carter loves fishing with her dad. There are a lot of things that Mason worries about, but it seems like he can forget all those things when he's out on the lake. Carter has adopted that same serenity, and together they can sit for hours, talking very little, and just patiently waiting for the fish to bite, as they watch the progress of the sun across the sky and marvel at the color changes in the water.

Oddly enough, it is Rosie who attracts the first fish, the sudden pull of her line startling her. The princess's inexperience being quite obvious, Carter rushes to her side to help her reel in. She puts her hand over Rosie's on the reel and toggles back and forth, reeling in and then giving slack, expertly maneuvering the fish closer to the boat. After a moderate struggle, Mason is able to snatch the fish out of the water with a hand net, to reveal a small, but feisty trout. Carter hugs Rosie in congratulation, and gives her dad their signature secret handshake. They name the fish Trevor, thank it for biting, and toss it back in the lake.

The morning passes quickly in this quaint way. They catch a small amount of fish, and after each successful catch, Carter and Mason share a handshake, name the fish, and release it. Carter promises that she'll make up a shake for Rosie and her to do. Rosie is visibly excited by the notion.

Mason makes sandwiches and the three of them enjoy a peaceful lunch back on the dock after securing the boat and putting away the poles and tackle. Carter is hard pressed to remember a time when she was this relaxed and happy, even with her dad on those fishing trips. She thinks it must have something to do with Rosie, because as they slap palms and bump fists in the creation of a new secret handshake, Carter feels Rosie's laughter in her own smile, hurting her own cheeks, and tumbling pleasantly with butterflies in her stomach.

~~\/~~

Carter steps down to the gravel with a crunch and closes her eyes at the orange rays of sunlight shimmering through the trees as they make their way closer to the evening horizon. Feeling her stomach give a hungry grumble, she continues crunching down the driveway, looking for her dad to ask him about dinner plans.

"Yes, ma'am, I agree," comes her father's voice from around the corner. She approaches but soon notices that he is on a call via the satellite intercom in his Jeep. Carter starts to turn back to wait for him in the house.

"... Not that I know of... Carter's done a good job of keeping her identity under wraps. Rosie herself is as charming as can be, I don't see how she could make herself any enemies way out here."

_You'd be surprised, dad,_ Carter thinks sardonically as she sees Chelsea's vain smirk in her mind's eye.

"Director, any news of Costa Luna? Have we made any headway with the palace guards?" Carter stops in her tracks. It's impossible for Carter to hear anything the Director may be saying, but as she glances back over her shoulder, she sees Mason bring a hand to his jaw and rubs it, a sure sign that whatever he is hearing, it's not the best news. _ Rosie..._

"I see. Things are working to Kane's advantage, then. The longer Rosalinda is in hiding, the more her people lose faith in her return," Mason's voice lowers and Carter strains to hear. Mason's back is to her; she slowly and quietly shifts her way closer over the gravel road.

"Absolutely. Without the hope of a future queen, resistance to Kane will falter... "

Carter doesn't realize she is shaking her head, her eyes wide and her heart racing. _ No, no no! Kane can't win! This isn't right!_

"... Hold please, Director," Mason suddenly remarks and before Carter can even react, Mason twists in his seat and launches a three inch blade through the air that stabs into the ground just a foot in front of her. "Ah - holy crap Dad! It's me!"

Joe is visibly disturbed. He rises to his feet and Carter almost shrinks under his imperious gaze. His face is grim as he puts a finger to the bluetooth in his ear and rumbles, "I'm gonna have to call you back, Director… 5 minutes."

Mason crosses his arms as he regards his eavesdropping daughter. "How much of that did you hear?"

Carter instead fires a question right back, "What's going to happen to Costa Luna if Rosie stays in hiding?"

The vexed soldier-turned-secret agent deflates, and leans his weight against his Jeep. "I think you know what, Carter," he sighs. "Kane will completely take over. His dictatorship will most likely damage Costa Luna just as it has Costa Estrella - he is vain, selfish and power hungry. The Costas will most likely not survive his rule."

"Then why are we hiding her? Her people need her, they need to know that they have something to fight for!" Mason rubs his jaw again; Carter's temper rises.

"Carter, Rosie must not know anything. It will motivate her to act out and possibly blow her cover. Our top priority is to keep her under the radar, oblivious."

"She's not stupid, dad! She won't just sit here forever without knowing what's happening to her family and country!"

"Carter, I know. Believe me, I can't stand this situation anymore than you can. But we can't risk the princess being found by Kane. If he imprisons her, there is no future for Costa Luna, guaranteed."

Carter kicks her foot into the ground, dislodging the knife from its erect position. She looks off, squinting her eyes at the sun sinking below the horizon of trees. "So then, what do we do?"

"Those loyal to the Royal Family have mounted an underground resistance, but it's an uphill struggle against Kane and his resources. The PPP can only wait for Kane's vanity and greed to trip him up. Meanwhile we continue to protect Rosalinda, here."

"So I have to pretend that I don't know that everything Rosie loves is in danger?"

"Everything Rosie loves depends on her protection and freedom. It's hopeless if she is captured. Here, she stands a chance to change things," Mason walks to Carter and puts a hand on her shoulder. She narrows her eyes and stares gloomily at the blade glinting on the gravel.

"I want to help her. I want her to be happy."

"Me too, pal."

~~\/~~

Later that evening, Carter sits reclined on the sofa, failing spectacularly at reading the assigned chapters in _Pride and Prejudice_. After realizing for the sixth time that she was reading the same paragraph describing Mr. Darcy's fabulously humble attractiveness or some other such nonsense, Carter lets the thick book fall onto her stomach, and her eyes drift across the living room and into her bedroom, where she can see Rosie serenely brushing her hair on the window seat. Carter absently watches her for several moments. She looks to be in deep thought. It soon becomes apparent to Carter however, that Rosie is not just contemplative, but sad. Spurred on by this revelation and Carter's new dedication to comforting Rosie, she rises from the sofa and enters the room quietly on bare feet.

Rosie jumps slightly when Carter slides behind her on the window seat and sneakily steals the hair brush from her hands, quickly resuming Rosie's activity and asking softly, "What's on your mind?"

"I - oh... I hope I wasn't disturbing you..."

"Not at all, you're just incredibly easy to read. I could tell something was bothering you from across the house. So, what's up?"

Rosie leans back as she crosses her legs on the seat and places her hands in her lap, allowing Carter to resume brushing her hair for her.

"I am feeling nostalgic for my home... and my mother.

"Mmm," Carter encourages her.

"I was reminded how Mama used to brush my hair. It is strange, sometimes, how just a simple action can trigger such intense memories... it is painful... almost too painful..."

"Oh, Rosie..."

Carter was never very good at comforting words, but she figured she was getting better at comforting gestures, so she thought it best to keep her mouth shut and keep gently sliding the hairbrush through Rosie's hair.

_Princess Rosalinda... You have so much at stake, and you're only a little older than me... I wish I could do something...  
_

Rosie slouches uncommonly low and turns her head slightly to the left, leaning her left shoulder against Carter's. Rosie's troubled and worried thoughts drift away lightly, and Carter is soon finding a simple rhythm and contentment in her task, very much attracted to the soft quality of Rosie's hair.

Rosie eventually sighs softly before saying, "Thank you, Carter." Carter stops brushing, but allows her hand to flow one last time through Rosie's soft tresses and lifting it over her shoulder. She then slides her hands down to Rosie's shoulders, squeezes lightly for a second, and then rises from the window seat.

"OK, I have an idea." Carter says brightly and goes to her closet, searching the upper selves. "I'm gonna school you in scrabble."

"Scrabble?"

"It's a board game. With words. You spell out words on the board, and bigger words get you... more… points…" Carter stops talking and scrutinizes the box. She glances back at Rosie's slightly confused but attentive face.

Carter, much like her father, was not one for losing. And knowing Rosie, she had a dictionary shoved into her morning breakfast since day one… and possibly in several different languages.

"On second thought, we're gonna play Monopoly instead. Are you familiar with the basic principles of Capitalism?"

"Roughly."

"...You can be the tophat."

~~\/~~

School on Monday was tediously ordinary, except for the fact that Chelsea and Brooke seemed to have disappeared sometime during lunch break. Carter of course had no complaints to this whatsoever, but she did muse it odd that the Princess who has been obsessing most about Homecoming was abandoning her normal post of barking orders at the Homecoming committee members in the gym.

After school, Rosie allows herself to indulge in admiring her dress for Homecoming. There was no question that she was indeed excited to wear formal attire again, and even more excited to share the experience with Carter. Busy fantasizing about a fabulous ballroom with decorations and dancing like the celebrations held in her palace, the princess does not immediately recognize the sudden appearance of Chelsea and Brooke in the doorway.

Stunned, worried, and hurt, Rosie can do nothing to stop Chelsea as she grabs the dresses and leaves with an arrogant laugh. She sinks to the window seat and stares at the words in the magazine in her lap, proclaiming General Kane's engagement to her mother, Queen Sophia. When Carter storms in with the now wrecked dresses, Rosie's distress is palpable, and Carter switches instantly from angry to concerned.

"You're right. They do need you," Carter says empathetically. "They need you to lead them, and to protect them... And that's something you can't do from jail, which is exactly where you'll end up if you go back to Costa Luna."

Despite Carter's words of warning, Rosie can think of no other course of action than to return home immediately and stop General Kane. Here in Louisiana, Rosie is free to live in this fairy tale - but she's never felt more trapped. Afraid of breaking down in tears in front of Carter, Rosie leaves the room quickly.

"No way am I letting this happen." Determined, Carter rises to her feet and walks into the hallway. Telling her dad is out of the question, and going to anyone else for help would mean revealing Rosie's secret. It's all up to her now.

Thinking quickly, Carter hustles upstairs to her dad's room, bursting through the sliding wooden panels into his study beyond. It's a reckless search for several frustrating minutes, Carter not quite sure what she's looking for, but knowing that there's got to be something in dad's files on the mission that can help her make a plan to help Rosie.

Finally, she finds a manila folder in the secret drop-drawer underneath the wooden desk. Inside are some papers on the history of the small country, a list of countries that are friendly to the Costas, and a heavy dossier on Kane. Carter becomes increasingly distressed as she pours over the files, and almost throws the whole folder down in frustration, when she spots a name she recognizes on the file of the King - "_Señor Rodrigo Elegante was appointed Royal Dressmaker shortly after - "_

Rosie's words from a few days ago echo in Carter's head: _My royal dress designer... He is a close family friend. If there were ever an emergency, he'd be the first I would call..._

Hastily scouring personnel files, Carter beams in delight at finding a contact number for Elegante, quickly memorizes it, then returns the folder back to the drawer and races from the room, down the stairs and closes her bedroom door behind her. Sitting on her bed Carter takes a deep breath and dials the number, a plan formulating itself quickly in her mind.

And although Elegante is quite eager to aid his _Princesa,_ it takes a few minutes to convince him to trust her fledgling plan. Elegante agrees to fashion two new dresses, promising them both to be worthy of Princesses, and will have them sent to Carter before the dance. He also agrees, though reluctantly, to leak information to Kane that Rosalinda will be at the Louisiana high school dance. What Kane won't know, however, is that Carter will swap places with Rosie, giving her a chance to escape.

"Ah si, an' then?" Elegante whispers eagerly, "Wha 'tis teh next part of chur plan?"

"I - uh - I haven't thought that bit out yet. But don't worry, I'll figure something out, just get working on those dresses, and leave the rest to me."

"Chaaa, I don' know abou' that..."

"Trust me, Señor Elegante! I'll do everything in my power to protect Rosie. I'll figure it out. I will." And when Carter steps outside a couple minutes later, spotting Rosie's lonesome silhouette leaning against the dock beams in the afternoon sun, she believes it.

When Carter asks Rosie to stay until the dance, to help her friends enjoy a special night, Rosie smiles. For all the help she had received from the community of Lake Monroe, Louisiana for these past few weeks, she felt it proper for her to return the good deed. She felt a secret happiness rise in her chest, as she realized that she could spend just a little more time with Carter before she had to leave.

~~\/~~

The next few days kept Rosie and Carter very busy with plans to make Homecoming a night worth remembering. Rosie was grateful for the distraction. On top of all this excitement, exams were coming up on the days before Friday, so Rosie and Carter began reviewing together, which is what they were doing on Wednesday night.

"Vous voulez aller à la plage avec moi?"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow it down, now. One more time?"

Rosie repeats the question at a slower place, enunciating her words. Carter admits that she's rubbish at foreign language, so she's glad for Rosie's patience.

"Uh, uh, oui, uh... J'taime la plage... et... le soleil ... et... j'taime tu... ?" Rosie bursts out into a fit of giggles. "Hey, I couldn't think of anything else that had to do with the beach! Quit laughin'!"

Hiding her smile behind her hand, Rosie replies, "So you believed that perhaps announcing that you love me would distract from that?"

"Only if it worked...?" Carter smirks hopefully.

"Well, Carter, if I was the teacher administering your oral examination tomorrow, I would think you were quite charming. But unfortunately I am not, so let's review some nouns and verbs."

"And particles, please." Carter mumbles as she flips through her French textbook furiously.

An hour and a half later, Carter shuts her textbook forcefully and calls it a night. Rosie agrees and heads to the upstairs bathroom to shower.

Catching a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye as she ascends the last stair, Rosie almost slips and falls as she backs into the wall away from the furry animal that suddenly appeared on the dresser. Rosie is startled but doesn't scream like she did when she encountered the lizard all those nights ago.

"Hey, Rosie, before you get in the shower can I grab - " Carter begins from the bottom of the stairs, until she notices Rosie's still form and uneasy expression. "What's up?"

"Oh, Carter, uhm... is.. is this animal domesticated? Is it a pet of yours?" Carter starts to ascend the stairs with a curious look on her face. "What? We don't have any pets, what're you - OH JESUS!" And Carter backs into the wall just as Rosie did when she spots the long-tail, pointed face and masked eyes of the raccoon standing on its hind legs, looking quizzically at them both from the dresser atop the landing.

"It is dangerous? It looks quite amiable..." Rosie remarks as she leans closer, the raccoon swatting lightly at the air with its small front paws. Carter's hand shoots out across Rosie's chest and pushes her back toward the wall. "Ha! Yea, well, it's just like Chelsea ain't it? Looks harmless enough, but it'll claw your face off if you get too close."

"Oh my," Rosie replies.

"It probably just wants food, I'll lead it outside with a piece of bread or something. Hang on. And don't pet it!"

"It really is a cute little thing..." Rosie says as five minutes later the raccoon is trampling off into the shadows outside with the piece of white bread flopping in its jaws. Carter shrugs, "It's the cute ones ya gotta watch out for."

The girls smile and head back inside, Carter's hand on Rosie's back. "Looks like you're getting a pretty decent catalog of local Louisiana wildlife, Rosie. Maybe pretty soon you'll happen upon a gator," Carter chuckles.

Rosie makes a noise that sounds a little like a mouse squeaking when the lights suddenly come on and it curries away under the kitchen cabinets. "Ah - I - well, I would prefer perhaps to only see an alligator in the pages of a book, rather than reality. Yes, I am fine with just a picture, I think," she says nervously as they reenter the house.

"Didja know you can hypnotize an alligator?"

"I beg your pardon?" Rosie asks dubiously, her foot halted on the first step of the stairs leading to the bathroom.

"Mmhmm, I saw a video once. It's pretty neat. Betcha'd wanna see that in person, eh?"

"You show me the technique to subdue a massive reptile, Carter, and I will gladly accompany you anywhere in the Louisiana wilderness."

"Deal," Carter nods, a huge playful smile on her face. She likes teasing Rosie.

But it's still accompanied by suppressed sadness that soon, Rosie will be gone, and Carter won't be able to tease her or hear her laughter or see her smile. And it's this sense of imminent separation that gives her an idea for something she never thought she'd do, ever.

~To be continued.

**A/N:** I like raccoons.

**A/N 2:** Only two chapters left! As you may have guessed, it will follow the basic course of the movie through to the end.


	9. Enamored

**Title:** Venomous Part 9 - Enamored

**Fandom:** Princess Protection Program

**Pairing:** Carter/Rosie

**Rating:** PG-13

**Words:** ~4200

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.

**Summary:** The day of the Homecoming dance has arrived, and both Carter and Rosie reflect on the friendship they have fostered together, and what they mean to each other. Rosie doesn't want to hide from her troubles any longer, but how far is Carter willing to go to save her best friend?

* * *

~~\/~~

With exams scheduled for the last two days of the week, and Rosie, Carter and Ed being exempt from those on Friday, the weekend basically started at noon on Thursday following their French orals. Riding a bit sandwiched together in Ed's dad's pick-up, the midday sun holds a sense of rare promise and freedom, and Carter lets her hand ride the wind outside the window as they drive to the Mason property. Once there, they drop off Rosie, Carter explaining she needs to do some "errands" with Ed.

The "errands" involve going to the post office to pick up a very special package, sent from Costa Luna - a pair of exclusive Mr. Elegante homecoming dresses that are critical to Carter's plan to stop Rosie from being harmed by General Kane. Parking on a side street, they pass by a Hobby and Craft store on the way to the Post Office, and Carter is mildly surprised to hear a familiar know-it-all twang issuing excitedly from a precocious pre-teen in hiking boots and a camouflage hat.

"That there book's gotta be tha best source of infer'mation on the State, I'll tell ya right now. See, if ya had looked at dat befur goin' on dat Scout trip, ya wouldn't've been bit, or got dat nasty rash," he tells a shorter boy, presumably his brother, and gesturing meaningfully at the display in the window.

"Mhhhmm," the younger boy replies, seemingly disinterested but sheepish enough not to mention it.

"I'm jus' sayin' Jessie... I wonder if dis goin' on sale...?" Charlie the Snake-Fanatic trails off, gazing longingly at the book propped behind the glass.

A couple weeks ago, Carter would have had no problem in simply crossing the street and avoiding the boy altogether, but recently she's found that her conscious is a bit more vocal and now practically screams at her to make amends for being rude to Charlie at the Homecoming football game last Saturday. So instead she sets a polite amiability upon her features and quickens her pace to met the two boys.

"Hey, it's Charlie, right?"

"Erh, Ma'am..?"

"The homecoming game, you told my friend she'd been bitten by a kingsnake, remember?"

"Oh- oh! Yea, yea sure I 'memeber! I - " and he halts as a look of uncertainty crosses his face, "I - erh, I s'ppose I was a bit rude, then. Not mah place to - "

"No, hold on now. I wanted to say I'm sorry for being mean. I'm not usually like that - I just got a little defensive. So, I apologize," Carter holds out her hand for a shake.

And Charlie regains some of his brightness as he nods to her and shakes. He grabs his little brother to his side by the shoulders. "Well, thanks very much. This here is my lil' brother, Jessie, by tha way. He's tha one 'got bit by tha King," and Jessie looks down at his feet as a flush rises to his cheeks.

"Sorry, Jessie, I know how that can suck - " Carter tries to ease his embarrassment, but Charlie interrupts, "I's tellin' him abou' dat book right there, ya really can't go wrong in LA if ya've read it." Carter looks to the book he gestures at, "The Wilds of Louisiana," looking a bit out of place in the Hobby store display surrounded by woodblocks and model airplane and ATV kits. "I know tha arrthor, he's a friend of my dad's, gave me a whole bunch o' stuff on snakes."

"Mhhm, neat," Carter replies with muted disinterest, and winks slyly at Jessie while Charlie is busy admiring the book. "Well, it was nice seeing you again," Carter says as she nudges Ed to start walking again.

"Same, tell your friend I said 'hi!'," Charlie beams. Looking around him, he suddenly notices that Jessie has run off, probably to escape his somewhat overbearing brother. Carter likes him more than Charlie.

After waiting a slightly more than ridiculous amount of time in line at the Post Office, Ed offers to carry the box of dresses for Carter, admiring Mr. Elegante for his kindness in making new dresses to replace the ones Chelsea and Brooke ruined.

"And at no cost, either! Costa Luna people sure are nice." Stepping back outside, Ed wonders aloud, "So, do you know anything about when Rosalinda is supposed to go back and become Queen?"

"Ed, shut up, we can't talk about that stuff out in public!" Carter hisses warily as they pass by a group of little old ladies - hardly the types to sell international secrets to unsavory enemies, but Carter appreciates the value of 'better safe than sorry'.

"Ouch, all right I'm sorry," Ed moans quietly as he limps on his now slightly squashed right foot. Looking at the box in Ed's hands, Carter feels a melancholy wash over her. "To be honest, I have a feeling she'll be gone soon."

"Oh, I thought maybe she'd stay till the summer, and she could come with us on our camping trip... but I guess not," and Ed being the sensitive young man he is, picks up on Carter's sadness. "... Dang, that sucks. You two were just starting to become good friends," Ed says, hoisting the box a little higher up in his arms as they turn the corner and walk by the Hobby and Craft Store again, on the way to the truck.

"Yea. Definitely." Carter stops and looks through the display window where "The Wilds of Louisiana" sits. She feels a sudden sense of sentimentality and says, "Go on to the car Ed, I'll be right there. One last errand."

~~\/~~

Rosie pushes open the screen door to the porch and breathes in deeply. She's just finished packing her things, however limited they are, in preparation for departure soon. She figures she will leave by nightfall on Friday, after the dance. Somehow she will need to get to an airport without Mason or Carter knowing; the thought of saying goodbye to them fills her heart with such an intense sorrow she almost tears up. But she knows that a proper goodbye probably won't allow her the freedom to leave as she wants. Somehow, this feels harder than when she had to leave her mother in Costa Luna - but she supposes she had no choice in that matter, whereas this time it's all her decision. She wishes she could shirk the responsibility.

What was a sunny day around noon has now turned overcast, and throws a blanket of silver gray over the surface of the lake. Rosie sees Carter sitting on the edge of the dock, a fishing pole in her hand while she leans against the wooden post and dangles her feet over the edge.

"I didn't know you had returned," Rosie announces her appearance quietly.

"Oh yeah.. Ed dropped me off not too long ago. Just wanted some time to think, ya know?"

"Oh I see. Should I leave?" Rosie asks uncertainly.

"Wha -? No, no, stay, please. Company would be nice," Carter smiles over her shoulder. She pats the space next to her, "I'm done with all that thinkin' nonsense anyway. A person can go crazy with too much of that, ya know."

"One who appears crazy may actually be a genius in disguise," Rosie says wisely as she sits down on crossed legs. "_Touche_," Carter chuckles.

"Caught anything?

"Just nibbles. The crayfish like to play on the line." Carter flicks a toe in the water and the critters scatter, only to return a few seconds later.

"Carter... I wanted to say - "

"- It's ok, Rosie."

"Carter...?"

"Let's... just enjoy the time we have right now. Okay?"

Neither girl can look at the other, so they stare at the lake instead. A doleful silence overcomes them, both trying desperately to rid their minds of the thoughts of what's to come, and what's to go. It's unfair that circumstances are forcing them apart, just as they grew the closest they've ever been to each other. Eventually, Rosie leans her head onto Carter's shoulder, who in turn rests her cheek atop Rosie's hair; both girls staring absently into the trembling gray light of the water's surface.

~~\/~~

Rosie leaves Carter some time later, refusing assistance when she says she is going to prepare dinner for them again. She wants to do it as thanks, and as a symbol of farewell to the father and daughter with whom she now feels so close.

As Rosie cuts up vegetables while the rice cooks, Mason ambles into the kitchen and admires her skills. Outside the window, Carter can still be seen on the dock, looking a shade darker as the light from the lake reflects brightly around her silhouette.

"I'm really glad you two worked things out, ya know? Became friends," Mason says while gazing through the window. Rosie stops chopping and looks to Carter's direction as well. "Carter seems a lot more... happy, these days. Less of a grump, ya know?"

"I am very happy to call Carter my friend. She is truly a remarkable person... but I sense it is hard sometimes for her to see how just how remarkable she is."

Mason smiles and sips from his mug. "If there's one thing you can count on the Mason's to be, it's humble - but you're right, I think she has trouble seeing the best in herself."

He turns to face Rosie and leans against the kitchen counter, crossing his strong arms over his chest. "Carter's had trouble with bullying even before high school. Always been somewhat of a misfit. Maybe some of it had to do with the divorce, but it's always been hard for her to make lasting friendships. Ed's the exception, which I'm really grateful for. And now with you, I've never seen her so happy with other people. She's more outgoing too. She's grown up, a bit."

"We all do eventually," says Rosie as she lowers her head to resume cutting veggies.

"You've been grown up for quite awhile, haven't you, Rosalinda?" Mason remarks quietly.

"It's part of my duty as a Princess..." she replies just as softly, not lifting her head. Mason walks over and puts a hand lightly on Rosie's shoulder as he passes.

"But it's okay to take it easy once in a while. Even grown-ups get to take vacations, relax a little."

Rosie looks up again and smiles. "So I have learned. I have your daughter to thank for that, Mason." And in that moment, the warmth in Mason's eyes as he gazes at Rosie is the same he holds for his own daughter.

Dinner that evening was as much a family affair as ever in the Mason household.

~~\/~~

"There ya go darlin', not a hair misplaced."

"Oh Helen, what a splendid job, thank you so much," Rosie gushes as she admires her new up-do in the mirror. The Friday sun shoots in through the window screen and sets a bright shimmer to Rosie's hair. Excitement for the coming dance later in the evening is palpable.

"Oh it ain't a thang lil' missy, you're just so darn gorgeous already I hardly had tah lift a finger!" Helen shoos charmingly.

"Hey, y'all finished in here yet?" Carter swings the screen door open and calls. "Yup, just now," Helen beams.

"Kay cool. Rosie, I have something I wanna show you," Carter continues excitedly as she pushes her way inside with her shoulder while carrying a large cardboard box. Helen excuses herself to grab beauty supplies from her bus outside.

"I was a little worried it wouldn't get here in time, but I suppose there's a reason you trust him," Carter says as she places the box on the kitchen table and starts to open it.

"Trust who? What is in there?" Rosie asks curiously. Carter just smiles at her and lifts the box flaps open, pulling out the lush material of two new dresses.

"Where did you get them?" Rosie gasps.

"You said to call Mr. Elegante if I had an emergency, and I think this is a fashion emergency."

"Carter, you are brilliant," Rosie smiles admiringly. "This one - " Carter quickly moves on as she picks up one of the dresses, mostly to avoid dwelling on the butterflies that suddenly popped into her stomach, " - is yours. He says you look best in pink. And this one is mine. It's Caribbean blue."

_And exactly the color General Kane thinks Rosalinda will be wearing at the Homecoming dance,_ Carter thinks wryly.

"Thank you, Carter. This is a night I'll always remember." Carter moves around the table and opens her arms to wrap Rosie in a hug. Her smile fades slowly as she replies, "I hope so," not knowing for sure what it will be remembered for. They are interrupted in this tender moment by the arrival of the other girls, and soon become engaged in preparing for the dance.

~~\/~~

Dusk falls quickly as the girls finish their make-up and hair. "C'mon, let's put on the final touch," Carter beams and grabs Rosie's hand, walking her back to their room and closing the door.

The girls start to gingerly remove their clothing without messing up their hair and make-up, and slip into their dresses, both finding it hard to hide their huge smiles. Rosie sits down to put on her shoes, and the dress is lifted to reveal the scar.

"I told Mr. Elegante about your snake bite, and he said he'd make your dress longer to cover it. He hardly needed to though, it looks totally healed. How's it feel?" She asks as sits on her haunches and touches the skin lightly, as she has many times before.

"It doesn't hurt at all. Thanks to your care, Carter."

"Don't mention it..." and Carter, just a few inches away from Rosie's leg, doesn't stop herself when she leans in and places a quick, gentle kiss to Rosie's scar. "All better, right?" Carter giggles a little nervously as she looks uncertainly back up at Rosie's face. But Rosie wears the tenderest expression as she reaches out to place her fingers beneath Carter's chin, urging her to rise up, as she stands from the bed.

"You are the strongest person I have ever met, Carter Mason," Rosie whispers as she holds Carter's wrist and leans in, placing a kiss on her cheek as gentle as the one Carter gave her scar.

Carter feels her face turn a bright scarlet so she turns around quickly and goes to her desk. "I - uh - I have something for you... because... well... you might be leaving soon..."

Turning around, Carter holds "The Wilds of Louisiana" out for Rosie, unwrapped.

"I heard from a reliable source that this book is essential for anyone visiting Louisiana. I thought it'd be useful to you since you seem to have a weird tendency to attract wildlife. So next time, you'll be prepared."

"Ohh wow, how interesting! Thank you so much, Carter!" Rosie is obviously very pleased with her present.

"There's uh - there's somethin' else in there, too. I thought I'd give you something a little more personal than a book, and uh -I uh - well, I've never made one before and I had to learn how to do it from the internet so like - you don't have to wear if - uh, well, here..." Carter stutters, her blush still visible across her cheeks, as she flips the book open in Rosie's hands, to a page about alligators, including an interesting note about animal hypnosis. Between the pages lies a threaded bracelet of turquoise and gold, with a small golden charm, a snake coiled in a slinky 'S' shape. Rosie is quiet for a moment, her mouth open in surprise, and it makes Carter nervous.

"I know you were kinda embarrassed about your snake bite before, but I thought maybe this would change your perspective on it or something..."

Rosie lifts the bracelet from the book and places the book down on the bed. She admires the small, but very personal gift between her fingers. In a small voice full of emotion, she says, "Carter, I am proud to wear my scar, as I am proud to wear this bracelet. I will gladly tell anyone of the story of how I met my best friend." She holds her wrist out and silently requests that Carter tie it on for her.

"That's... that's what I was hoping you'd say," Carter smiles as she secures the friendship bracelet, and takes out another bracelet from her desk. This one is light green and gold, with a silver fish charm on it. Rosie ties it on her wrist, her fingers deft and reverent, and she pulls Carter into a hug. A few quiet moments pass between them, before Carter mumbles that they should probably finish getting dressed.

Pulling on their evening gloves, the final presentation is breathtaking, and Carter says, "You look beautiful, Rosie."

"Look in the mirror Carter - so do you," Rosie says gently.

Carter moves to examine herself in the mirror. She smooths out her dress and smiles at what looks like a young, happy, royal princess. She can hardly believe it's herself. Rosie comes to her side and they share a smile in the mirror. Carter turns to face her, and catches her dad leaning on her door frame and observing them with proud eyes.

"How do I look, dad?" Carter asks as she comes up to him. Mason gives her a once-over and sighs dramatically, "I think we have a problem." Carter frowns uncertainly and looks to check herself -

" - I think I may have to stop calling you 'pal'," Mason finishes with a smile. They lean forward for a hug, but it's cut short by the shrill ring of Mason's PDA. With a sad smile, he leaves to take the call.

Carter's a little bummed that her father's sending-off was interrupted, but as Helen tells them, the dance starts in ten minutes, so Carter follows Rosie out to the bus, contemplating what the night will bring. She feels a mix of excitement and dread.

~~\/~~

Carter's pretty sure she's never had more eyes on her than when she stepped out of the bus in front of the school, all dolled up and shiny like a jewel. She feels a funny swelling of pride in her chest, and she also feels a little mischievous behind her ornate mask. Her huge smile matches Rosie's however, and coupled with receiving compliments and looks of admiration, the dance starts off very successfully in Carter's opinion. A couple of young freshmen come up and start dancing ridiculously to get a laugh from the girls, and they indulge them. All around them, their friends are smiling and laughing and showing off their masks, and it seems like nothing could be more innocent or fun than a high school dance.

About 10 minutes after arriving, Donny slinks up looking sharp and douchey in a sports jacket and styled hair, shooing away the mousey-haired freshmen. He seems to have completely forgotten that his date to the dance was Chelsea. Behind Carter, Rosie's face is marred by a slight frown. Donny cockily propositions Carter to dance, but in a move that surprises even herself, Carter shuts him down.

"Ok what's up? Isn't this what you've been waiting for since like, the third grade?" Donny sneers.

"Before I put on this dress, you couldn't even remember my name. I might be a princess tonight, but I'll always be bait girl. And I'm proud of that."

"Carter, you're making a big mistake," Donny tries to cover his obvious surprise and embarrassment. But Carter's head is held high and proud.

"No, Donny, I don't think I am." That sends the jock off with his tail between his legs. Rosie comes up to Carter's side. "You deserve better than him, Carter," and she doesn't even try to hide the smug smile on her face.

"I know... Too bad it took this long to realize it." Carter doesn't notice the way Rosie's eyes cast downward thoughtfully. She turns around and calls the freshman boys back to them, trying to pretend like that wasn't a big deal just then. Just beyond them, Ed nods in approval while Donny slinks off to some corner to nurse his ego.

The boys scatter off in fear when the beat slows down suddenly and a melodic electronica sweeps over the dance floor, signaling the start of a slow jam. Rosie doesn't mind however, and takes the chance to put her hands around Carter's neck, and although Carter is mildly surprised, her hands go to dance partner's waist naturally. Swaying in place for a few moments to the steady kick drum and the piano keys, Carter looks over Rosie's shoulder into the crowd. She sees only smiling teenage faces; no trace of a menacing dictator turned kidnapper or any rogue operatives looking to collect a runaway princess. Carter's eyes begin to shine as thinks about the possibility of Rosie being captured, and she wants to throw away her plan and just confess to Rosie, and insist that they escape together. But the voice of her father reminds her that she's responsible for the future Queen's safety. Readjusting her loose grip on Rosie's hips, bringing her closer, she deflates and says somewhat sadly, "I'm going to miss you, Rosie."

"We'll see each other again, Carter," Rosie says, trying to find Carter's gaze. "When I return to my country and stop Kane from trapping my mother in marriage, I will find a way to rid Costa Luna of his tyranny, and then I will be able to see you again."

"You're so confident... I'm kinda jealous."

"I'm the future Queen - I must be confident in my own abilities, otherwise how would my people have confidence in me?"

"You're something else, Rosie. Rosalinda," Carter whispers her given name and encloses her in another hug.

In a moment of uncharacteristic weakness, Carter closes her eyes tight and squeezes harder to Rosie, her hands trying to clump the slinky material of her pink dress where they lay. She has to squeeze her eyes because she can feel the tears glinting just at the corners, threatening to fall.

Carter reflects on her strange reality in that moment; harboring a fugitive princess at a Southern high school dance after spending weeks trying to teach her to just "act normal." Carter wishes that she and Rosie were just two average high school girls that could have sleepovers and go swimming in the lake and the only worries they had were about grades and curious raccoons around the house. Most of all she wished that Rosie didn't have to leave.

The lights shift in colors above them as the slow jam picks up suddenly, and couples drift apart to fall into threes, and fours and fives, and into big circles where fellow students start spinning madly in the middle and there are cheers and laughing all around. Rosie laughs loudly and pulls Carter toward the circle, cheering and clapping, and Carter's mind relaxes for a moment from the uncertainty of her near future.

When the excitement calms down somewhat, Rosie is soon inundated with admirers and compliments, and Carter takes the opportunity of Rosie's distraction to slink off. She pulls her mask down over her face and starts to survey the gym from the corners, fighting the growing pit of fear in her stomach as she searches for any sign of someone who has the look of wanting to kidnap a princess. She sees Principal Burkle off to the side of the stage, arranging what must be the Homecoming Queen's crown on a draped table. Knowing that the announcement is sure to come soon, she starts walking back to Rosie to tell her to put on her mask, but is stopped by a solid obstacle - a crying Brooke.

"We have to stop meeting like this, Brooke," Carter says bemusedly, but frowns slightly when she sees how upset the girl is.

"Ca- Carter! Oh Carter, you were right! You were right about Chelsea, she's awful!"

"Did you two break up again?"

"I - _sniff_ - finally realized that - _sniff_ - Chelsea was just being selfish and mean, and not funny and cool like I thought she was. She's not a good friend..." Brooke explains through her tears. Carter takes pity on her.

"Well Brooke, this is something you can grown from, ya know? Now you know what to look for in friends. And maybe Chelsea will change her attitude now that she drove her only friend away."

"...Maybe." Carter puts a hand on Brooke's arm as she makes to move past her. "You'll be all right Brooke. You know, you weren't half bad, whenever you weren't acting mean just to fit in."

"Thanks... Oh, and Carter -"

"Yea?"

"I... I really don't want Chelsea to be Homecoming Queen. The only royal thing about her is that she's a royal pain in the butt."

Carter smiles warmly at her. "Can't argue with you there." Brooke smiles back, a bit tear-stained and shy.

"Yea.. so uhm... I just... well, I hope you or Rosie win. You guys deserve it. Good luck."

"Thanks Brooke..." And the former enemies part ways, a little bemused at the reconciliation, but not complaining. Carter makes her way back to the dance floor, to her friends. Carter finally tells the girls to put on their masks as Principal Burkle ascends the stage and signals to the DJ to lower the music. As the lights come up to spotlight the stage, Carter moves back. She hovers near the snack table and watches through her mask as Rosie, enshrined by a halo of gold and red lights, smiles warmly and turns toward the stage, holding her mask up to her face.

Carter hopes this isn't the last time she sees her.

The bait girl holds her head high, proud as though she really were a princess, and waits. She is ready. She is committed.

She hears an angry hiss of snakes as Kane's slimy voice slithers into her ear and his hand unfurls before her.

"Come with me, _Princesa_, and no harm shall come to your friends."

~To Be Continued *dun dun dun final chapter omg*


	10. Final Chapter Amorous

**Title:** Venomous Part 10/10 - "Amorous"

**Rating:** G

**Words**: ~5000

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.

**Summary:** The final chapter in the saga of Rosie and Carter's friendship.

**Note:** Thank you to everyone who reads this last chapter.

* * *

"I hold here in my hand the name of our 2008 Lake Monroe Homecoming Queen. And the winner is... Princess Rosie Gonzalez!"

The Queen-elect meets Principle Burkle's announcement with grace and humility, quite surprised by the outcome herself. With her plastic crown placed neatly upon her head, Rosie's eyes search the dark room for Carter, but cannot distinguish her face from the crowd. She clears her throat imperceptibly and approaches the microphone.

"Thank you... Since I've been here, I've learned many wonderful things. Most importantly, I've learned about friendship... and loyalty, and trust. And that those are not things that are just given - but things we must earn."

The lights swivel and turn, and Rosie can now see the angry and distraught face of Chelsea, seething under the glare of red disco lights; Brooke and Bull, keeping their distance from the thwarted princess and looking approving at Rosie. She can see Ed behind his camera, his smile so big it might cause him permanent damage, and the ever-cocky Donny, the boy that caught Carter's attention for so many years, looking bored and haughty - but throughout the crowd there's still no sign of Carter. So Rosie decides to try a more direct approach.

"So I want to thank... Carter Mason for teaching me these things... and for being my friend." The room quiets down and the lights turn up, searching through the crowd. Rosie's smile falters.

"Carter...? Where are you?"

But Carter isn't there.

~~\/~~

Carter's heart pounds in her ears as she follows the mysterious and menacing General Kane and his guard, her mind racing. Should she reveal herself before something terrible happens? Should she wait until she's been taken out of the country? Would her dad and the PPP be able to save her then? And what will happen when Kane does find out he's been deceived? Was she a fool for risking her life in a stupid plan thought up by a stupid bait girl?

_Better he have some stupid bait girl than the future Queen. I'll do whatever it takes to save Rosie._

Carter's loyalty to her best friend bolsters her courage and suppresses her fears. She keeps a dignified silence when Kane throws taunts and jeers over his shoulder at her as they walk.

"Ah, but you see, it was always going to be like this - with the power and influence I have, it was only a matter of time before I found you, _Princesa_. Although, I don't suppose you will be a _Princesa_ for much longer..."

Turning a corner in the B Block, Carter can hear through the open window the distinct sounds of a helicopter, its blades chopping menacingly through the warm night air.

~~\/~~

Stepping down from the stage, Rosie is far from ecstatic about her new crown and title - she feels an inescapable uncertainty and fear regarding Carter's absence. This was supposed to be a special night for them both; Carter wouldn't miss the most important part of the evening. Suddenly, being Homecoming Queen doesn't even matter anymore - all Rosie wants is to find Carter.

Quickly excusing herself from throngs of congratulating peers, Rosie exits the gym and searches outside for any sign of her best friend. She bunches up her dress in her gloved hands and quickens her pace to search the school grounds, and after another unpleasant but brief encounter with jilted princess Chelsea Barnes, Rosie runs the corner from the lap pool toward the curious sound of wind whipping viciously from the courtyard ahead.

~~\/~~

Carter's dance shoes clap noisily against the ground of the courtyard, but the sound of the whirring helicopter is even louder, threatening to steal Carter away from her family, friends, and home. Carter realizes that this is what it must have felt like for Rosalinda to leave Costa Luna, uncertain about her future or the fate of her loved ones. Carter's heart cries out for her best friend.

Quite miraculously, Rosie answers.

"GENERAL KANE!" commands Rosalinda, proud and strong from behind the group, her voice heard clear over the chopping helicopter blades. Unbelieving, Carter removes her mask. But it's true - Rosie is walking toward them, confident and impressive, here to rescue Carter from her uncertain fate.

Kane recovers from his shock and assumes his cocky smirk again. "Weeeell, it appears as if everyone wants to be a princess! Unfortunately, it is time for the masquerade to end."

Carter shakes her head - protests about Rosie's decision to come forth - but Rosie's eyes are soft as she looks at Carter. "This is my fight, not yours..." Kane interrupts them and ushers Rosalinda toward the helicopter.

Time seems to slow down as Carter watches helplessly, her best friend being stolen by a ruthless dictator. Heartbreakingly, she wonders if this will be the very last time she sees her...

Striking as a flash of lightning through a sky of black omen, Major Joseph Mason swings open the helicopter doors in front of Kane and smiles winningly, "Good to see you again!"

"What is the meaning of this? You are interfering with official business of the sovereign land of Costa Luna!" rages Kane.

"Maybe this'll fly in your country, but here, it's called kidnapping," answers Mason. The Director, seated in the cockpit, cockily kicks her crossed leg and tilts her head, "Ve are turning you over to zhe international authorities."

Stunned and with no other option, Kane scampers with a swish of his cloak, pursued hotly by an almost jovial Mason, who's been looking forward to this moment for quite some time.

Breathless, Carter runs into Rosie's arms, her relief and joy and exhaustion and worry all cascading together in a torrent of emotion, rendering her speechless and only capable of holding on tighter to her best friend who is so much more.

As the whirring of the chopper blades slows and the wind around them dies down to a small breeze that ruffles the hems of their dresses, Rosie attempts to catch her breath through her tears.

"I can't believe you would do this for me," Rosie sniffs heavily.

Carter pulls away and her brain still can't function quite right, so she says something about being a princess and best friends and rainbows or something equally silly, but Rosie still smiles proudly at her and reaches up to her crown.

"You are truly a princess now, Carter Mason. You rightfully deserve this." Rosie places the crown lightly upon Carter's head, but the moment is ruined by the unmitigated wrath of Chelsea Barnes. Looking as vehement as a fire-breathing dragon, Chelsea huffily takes the crown. Outraged, Rosie steps forward, but Carter's arm holds her at bay. "Let her go - she needs it way more than I do."

It's at this moment that Mason returns with a captured Kane, and Carter laments her fate. "Ooooh, I'm in soo much trouble..." she mumbles as she walks slowly to her father.

Rosie looks on with a warm smile on her face as Carter attempts to explain herself. She feels her heart expand when Carter and Mason share a strong hug, as if she too felt the embrace.

~~\/~~

Later, when the Masons and Rosalinda are safely back at Lake Monroe, Mason throws an arm around Carter as they walk from the car to the front door.

"You're dang lucky Señor Elegante trusts me as well as you do - he called and informed us of your little plan tonight."

"Woah, wait - so you knew the whole time?"

"Yup. The Director decided to stand down and wait for Kane to appear - I didn't like it one bit, of course. But she was right to trust in you; you brought Kane out right where we needed him. Maybe you've got a future in the Program, eh?"

"Pfft, yea right, dad," Carter replies as Mason ruffles her hair and kisses the top of her head. He then approaches Rosie and opens his arms for a hug, which Rosie gladly obliges. "I'm so happy you're safe, Rosalinda. Thank you for being so brave through all this."

"I didn't do it on my own - I am so grateful to both of you, you have done so much for me."

"Get some sleep Rosie; tomorrow morning you'll be on your way back to your country, and your family."

Carter walks up and takes Rosie's hand lightly, leading her to the bedroom. Silently, they slip out of their formal wear and into more comfortable attire, and Carter again takes Rosie's hand, leading her to her own bed, not willing to be separated on the last night her best friend is in Louisiana.

Facing each other, they hold hands and each other's gazes fondly. As Rosie's thumb caresses the back of Carter's hand, Carter's eyes brush over Rosie's face, shifting from her hairline to the shell of her ear, between her eyes, dark but shining, to her nose with the light splash of freckles only visible when so close, and to her lips, curved down slightly in sadness. Carter notices Rosie's eyes tracing a similar path across her own face, and she can't bear the thought of Rosie seeing the same sadness reflected in Carter's eyes.

"Don't be sad - you'll be with your family again soon," Carter's voice cracks with barely hidden emotion.

"But it means leaving the family that I have here... it's a joy and a heartache at the same time."

"The fairytale has to end sometime - we need to go back to reality," Carter replies wisely. A heavy silence falls upon the two for a moment.

Rosie sniffs and uses her shirt to wipe the corner of her eyes. "Believe it or not, I'm going to miss wearing your clothing," she giggles softly. Carter snags a bit of shirt between her fingers and rubs. Tears roll silently down Rosie's cheeks into the pillow. Carter frowns and wipes them away. "Don't cry..." but she can't think of a reason why not.

The light makeup they had applied for the dance is smudging round their tearful eyes, but Rosie thinks Carter has never looked more beautiful.

~~\/~~

The next morning was spelled with grey clouds, the bright blue endless sky replaced with gloom. After Mason fails in his attempt to get the girl's to eat something, he ushers them outside to the field where Rosie was bitten by the snake, where they watch as a Princess Protection Program elite black helicopter lands to take Rosalinda back to her home.

Mason claps a strong hand on Carter's shoulder and offers an encouraging smile before he takes his leave and goes to address the pilot, leaving Carter and Rosie alone in the swirling grass and vast grey sky. The vacuum of space around them seems to have sucked up all the words Carter wanted to say.

Silently, Rosie lifts the golden chain that holds her mother's locket from her neck, and delicately holds it in both hands to Carter. Carter shakes her head in slight disbelief. "I couldn't - that's yours - "

"This necklace reminded me that I was a princess, and that it was my duty to be composed and brave through all my trials. But you reminded me that I was still just a girl who needed a friend. Now it is a reminder that you always have a friend in me, Carter. That I am loyal to you, as you are to me." And stepping closer, Rosie links the chain around Carter's neck. Their faces are just inches apart, and the dull thunder of circling helicopter blades in their ears puts them in a world of their own.

"I'm a better person because of you," Carter says as softly as she can while still being heard over the wind. Rosie smiles and rests her hands on Carter's chest and rubs the golden chain between her fingers, admiring it. She wets her lips before she speaks, looking into Carter's eyes. You've always been a good person, Carter - it just took you awhile to see it for yourself."

Carter feels her eyes prickle with tears. She shakes her head slightly with speechlessness. "I can't think of how - I want to tell you - "

"I'm so happy to have met you - " Rosie interrupts.

Carter feels Rosie's fingertips touch her jaw and hears the shift of the gravel as her foot moves closer between her own dusty converse shoes. All the colors are brighter and on her lips she can taste something sweet, and it must be from Rosie, because that's all that matters in the world to Carter now as Rosie's lips are pressed so, so gently against her own. Closing her eyes, she can feel the warmth in Rosie's touch on her cheek and shoulder, can feel the strands of hair blowing around her face and neck, can feel her heartbeat loud in her chest. Feeling like she's hurtling through space, she grabs hold of Rosie's wrist and the belt loop of her jeans. And just when she feels like she might scream from the feeling of falling and the butterflies in her stomach, the kiss ends.

The world comes crashing back down around them, and the whirring of mechanical blades reminds them that this is goodbye. Carter pulls Rosie into a tight hug.

Carter grasps the locket around her neck as she watches the helicopter lift off and slip above the clouds. To her left, Mason clears his throat and looks out through the trees toward the lake.

"So, uh... That was nice of her... Giving you that necklace... and that kiss..." Carter feels a prickle of embarrassment as she turns toward him. He's scratching his neck and tugging on his boots before stomping them to the ground.

"It means a lot for us," is all she can think to offer as she gazes at the clouds again. Mason stops fidgeting and looks at his daughter. He doesn't quite understand the vague answer, but he relaxes to find Carter so calm. He places a hand on her back and starts to lead her back to the house. "Don't worry, Pal. I'm sure we'll be seeing her again."

~~\/~~

Rosalinda's coronation ceremony was pushed back, by special request of Rosalinda herself, in order that Carter and Ed may attend once the semester ended and summer began. Carter had never been so excited to receive a letter from Rosie, requesting that she not only attend the ceremony, but stay for the summer months in the palace as the Soon-to-be-Queen's special guest.

Costa Luna is more beautiful than Carter had ever imagined. It had the tropical palm trees and sandy beaches that Carter assumed an equatorial island would, but it also had adobe brick shacks and open markets in dusty squares and old Spanish lighthouses and tan fortresses, its history as a trading port etched in the very rock of the island. And the mountains, so green and lush and unlike anything Carter had ever seen in Louisiana.

Arriving the day before the coronation, Carter was understandably miffed at being unable to speak or even to see Rosie, for she was wrapped up in any number of official duties and royal preparations. _Doña_ Sophia Montoya greeted Carter, Ed and Major Mason and made no little matter of the gratitude she felt toward them for keeping her daughter safe.

"You are a part of the family now, we owe you so much," she gathered Carter up in her arms and kissed her cheeks with the ferocity that only Latin women seem to possess.

After having been given a tour of the palace and having a quaint cup of coffee on the veranda of the dining hall, Ed and Carter were shown to their guest rooms, while _Doña_ Sophia and Mason left to join the Director who had just arrived.

"So, Ed. You don't have a thing for Rosie, right?" Carter asks as the both lay on their backs on the huge bed in Carter's guestroom, staring up at the uniquely decorated ceiling.

"A thing? Like, a 'more than just friends' thing? Uh, nope. I mean, she's great, really pretty and nice… but nope… why, she say anything about me?" he perks up.

"No! I mean, she didn't say anything. I was just asking." Carter is quiet for a few seconds. "Because I think I might," she admits very, very quietly.

"...Huh? You? You mean like, a thing? A more than friends thing?"

"Yea maybe. I don't know… yes." Ed turns over on his side and lays his head on his tucked elbow, scrutinizing Carter. Carter is adamant however, on staring at the ceiling. Her fingers twitch, and she's not sure if she wants to scratch nervously, or just punch Ed.

"Huh," he says finally. Carter spares him a glance out of her right eye. "Hmm?"

"I just mean… well, I think it's cute."

"_ 'Cute'_ ?"

"Yea, I mean... You went from hating her guts to having a thing for her in like, a month. It's cute."

"Oh. Well... it just kinda happened, I guess. I've never met anyone like her before. And I... I think she feels the same way."

"Well, if you both feel something, you should talk about it, at least. It's no good if it just sits in your chest."

When Ed says this, Carter's figurative light bulb goes off in her head. She's quiet again while she tries to ease the constrictive feeling in her heart.

"Ed… Rosie once said that you looked at me… like you wanted something more… is that… was she right?"

Now it's Ed's turn to stare fixedly at the ceiling. "… Maybe. Possibly."

Carter squeezes her eyes shut and loathes the awkward tension that has now fallen upon them. Things were so much simpler before hormones showed up.

"Listen, Ed, I just - "

"No, I get it, Carter. I got it a long time ago, trust me. We're friends, and that's all I need. I know where we stand."

"... I'm sorry Ed."

Ed sighs heavily. "Don't apologize for what you feel. Like I said – I know where we stand. And to be honest, I think we'd make better friends anyway. I like having you as my best bud."

"Same here," Carter smiles softly. Ed holds out his hand, and Carter shakes it amicably.

~~\/~~

"Joo do look lovely in bloo, _Señorita_," Elegante swoons as he brushes her shoulders and smooths her silky dark blue dress in the mirror of his workshop studio. "But... is dat..., isnn' dat _Princesa's_ locket?"

"She gave it as a gift... but, it's still got the pictures of her parents in here," Carter laughs sheepishly. Elegante's gaze softens and he places a warm hand on her shoulder, ignoring the sounds Ed is making as he struggles to put on his tie without strangling himself.

"Den, if joo would like, I have something dat may suit joo better." And he goes to his desk, fiddles with some scissors, and comes back with his hands cupped, graciously held out to Carter. And lying within them is a perfectly trimmed, perfectly locket-sized picture of Rosie, looking beautifully un-royal with her hair down and a simple cotton shirt, her gaze directed somewhere off camera.

"Chaken last summer at da lake_. Ay, Bella, bella_."

"It's... perfect, thank you," Carter says in awe.

And Elegante gently takes the locket from her neck and replaces the picture for her then links it once again over her shoulders. "Dere. Joo look beautiful, _Señorita_. Now, come, da cerremuny will begin shortly. Ay! - _Señor_ Ed, please, doo not tug on dat! Let me assisst joo!"

~~\/~~

"I present to you, Queen Rosalinda Marie Montoya Fiore of Costa Luna!" bellows the arch bishop, placing the shining white-gold royal crown atop her head, and the crowd jovially responds. The excitement of the event gets the better of Ed, who yells at the top of his lungs, "LONG LIVE QUEEN ROSIE!"

The crowd is baffled for a moment, unaware of Rosalinda's nickname, but then Carter steps in and echoes his cry, and Rosie, from several yards away, smiles winningly at the two. _Doña_ Sophia repeats the phrase enthusiastically in Spanish, and the crowd finally cheers in kind, much louder than before. A few hoots and hollers are even heard from the balconies and rooftops, where young village rascals have climbed in order to view the special event. Flower petals of red and pink are tossed joyfully into the air, and the royal guard salutes with a ceremonial trumpet march, as Rosalinda descends the throne steps and makes her way through the crowd. As she approaches Carter and Ed, her smile widens to be almost uncontainable on her face, and Carter feels that same joy trill through her own body. It was, undoubtedly, a beautiful ceremony.

But more so than witnessing her best friend crowned, the moment Carter has been waiting for finally arrives that evening during the royal festival in the town market place. Being a small nation, the royal feast is held in the heart of the community, and townspeople and royal guests alike mingle and celebrate under the rising evening moon and colorful lanterns. Finally, Carter is able to speak with Rosie, and she initiates the conversation with a bone-crushing hug.

"It's been too long since I've done this, so just bear with me as I get it out of my system," Carter speaks, her voice muffled by Rosie's shoulder.

Rosie laughs heartily, "I have been just as excited to see you, Carter. I'm so happy you're here." Carter steps back but holds a firm grip on Rosie's gloved hand.

"You were amazing today. Really. I still can't believe it, my best friend is _Queen._ It's crazy!"

"I always wondered what it might feel like to wear this crown, " Rosie muses as she lightly touches the jewel on her head. "...And?" Carter asks.

"It feels heavy," the queen replies blandly. The two just look at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Walk with me," Rosie says, turning and slipping past the crowd to head around a cluster of houses. Rosie removes her gloves so she can take Carter's hand, feeling her warm skin. Carter notices the friendship bracelet she gave her in Louisiana is still securely tied on her wrist.

Their wandering path leads them through a community garden, in full bloom with fragrant tomato vines and basil plants, smelling sweetly of summer, hiding them from the festive sounds of Spanish guitars and clapping hands floating on the breeze.

"It's kinda weird being alone out here, after all the excitement of the past few days."

"To be quite honest, I've been looking forward to spending time with you, more so than all the preparations and celebrations of this week," Rosie smiles and squeezes Carter's hand.

"So have I... and I ... have to tell you something, Rosie..."

Rosie purses her lips but her eyebrows arch up in interest. Carter stops walking to face Rosie, taking both her hands in hers and preparing to dive in, with one big deep breath.

"Just cutting straight to the point, here... I'm not sure what's going to happen from now on... how our lives are going change... but I just know, that I feel something very strong for you, and it's hard for me to imagine you not in my life somehow." Rosie is silent and urges Carter to continue, to verbalize the unspoken truth between them. Carter swallows, trying to wet her very dry throat.

"I - I love you. With every part of me. And I really want to kiss you again." It seems to take an eternity, a whole eternity where Carter feels like she's balancing on the edge of a very tall, very fatally dangerous precipice - until Rosie smiles.

" '_Sometimes in the winds of change, we find our true direction'."_ Carter smiles back uncertainly. "Is that like, your Shakespearean way of saying you love me too?"

"It's an anonymous quote that I think is apt - our friendship grew out of turmoil in my country and a wayward snake in tall grass. I wouldn't be the same today if I hadn't met you. Nor would I have had the chance to fall in love with you."

A tidal wave of joyous relief sweeps over Carter, almost powerful enough to knock her from her feet. She holds tightly to Rosie's hands, and rubs her thumb over the back of them. "So... we shouldn't be afraid of the changes that are coming, is that what you're saying?"

"I'm saying we can make this work if we really want - "

"I really, really do - " Carter interrupts her, and the world is sucked away in the instant her lips touch Rosie's.

~~\/~~

Carter and Rosie eventually meander out from the town gardens and back towards the palace, the crescent moon high above them and the stars shining brightly.

"_Ah, Mi Reina es aqui!"_ they hear from behind them. Rosalinda's Royal Guard, Dimitri, is trotting towards them, his ceremonial sword swinging at his hip. "_Alteza Real, Señorita _ Carter -_ Doña_ Sophia and The Director of the Princess Protection Program request your presence in the Audience chambers. _Por favor,_ follow me."

"_Gracias_ Dimitri; but I must ask that you refrain from such formalities with me - My change in status has not changed who I am."

"_Ah Si, Mi Reina -_ erh, Rosalinda. _Gracias_," he smiles politely.

Lady Sophia and the Director both look up from their conversation as Carter and Rosie enter the Audience hall, a large mahogany conference table taking up most of the room, and Mason standing just behind the two women, still wearing his PPP uniform.

"Good evening, ladies. Ve haff some very important issues to discuss vith you both, if you'll haff a seat," the Director directs them to two chairs beside the table in her curt accent. From behind her, Mason gives a thumbs-up to Carter, who struggles to hide her smile.

"Carter, I'd like to virst address you - Congratulations. You showed a most impressive reserve of bravery and vit in your plan against General Kane. Zhe Program is indeed grateful to you." The Director smiles at Carter, who is feeling a little flustered at all the attention. She nods slightly, not trusting herself to speak.

"I haff been conversing vith Agent Mason for some veeks now about an opportunity zhat you may be interested in - " behind her, Mason's smile is threatening to split his face, " - an opportunity within the Program... as our virst 'Junior Agent.' "

"Huh?" Carter asks, quite lamely.

The Director smiles and turns to Mason, clearly reading his excitement. Mason steps forward, "When the summer ends, you'll be getting your GED back in Louisiana, and then we'll both go to HQ to begin your training as a Junior Agent with the PPP. For the most part, you'll be acting as a Princess Liaison- perhaps later you'll be part of an extraction and protection force, but for now you'll be assisting princesses in adjusting to their new placements," he finishes almost breathlessly. "If you want to, that is," he adds as a second thought. Carter can hardly believe it.

"Uhm... YES! Please, yes, awesome, that's so... so - "

"Cool?" Rosie supplies for her, her hand going to squeeze Carter's under the table. "Yea! So cool."

"Excellent. Zhen ve haff an agreement. You may enjoy your summer here in Costa Luna, and zhen, as Mason has said, begin your transitioning as an agent."

"Now, Rosalinda..." The Director turns her attention to the Queen. "Ve at zhe Program realize zhat perhaps zhis may be asking too much, but zhere is a place for you as vell, as Carter's partner. Your cool temperament and righteous loyalty make you an excellent candidate for zhe Program. But, as I said - ve understand zhat your virst priority is to your country."

Rosalinda looks down at her lap, her mind racing with excitement. The room waits with bated breath. Carter squeezes her hand. Rosie looks up at her mother, who nods at her. "This is your decision, _mija._ Whatever you feel is best for you."

"I am eternally grateful to the Program, and it's agents, for what they have done for me and my country. I would therefore be honored to assist in any way I am able."

"Excellent!" The Director claps her hands together and stands up. "Ladies, thank you so much. Ve shall discuss zhis in more detail at a later date, but for now, it is late, and if I am not mistaken, zhere are still celebrations to be had!"

"Only for the grownups though," Mason comes and pats Carter on the shoulder. "You two should get to bed." Carter rolls her eyes at her father, standing up and then wrapping him in a bear hug. "Pretty exciting to be following in your old man's footsteps, huh?"

"Take it easy, there, Pops. It's not all about you, ya know."

"I know. It's me and you, pal."

"Me and you, dad. And now Rosie too!" Carter adds excitedly, grabbing Rosie into the hug.

~~\/~~

Out on a palace balcony under the shining sun and the swaying Costa Luna flags, Carter holds Rosie's hand and swings them back and forth gently between their bodies.

"Did you ever imagine that things would end up like this? Kane's on trial for his crimes, your family's safe, your country has a new Queen, and you're gonna be working for the Program with me?"

"It's almost to good to be true," Rosie laughs lightly, and Carter reveals in the fact that she'll be hearing that laugh for many years to come.

"Sounds like a fairytale, to be honest."

"I'm perfectly fine living in a fairytale with you, Carter."

And when Rosie kisses Carter, her hand caressing her jaw and her body so close Carter can feel her warmth, Carter admits that she would never want another reality.

~~\/~~ FIN ~~\/~~

Thank you for reading!


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